The primary difference between Homo habilis and Australopithecus is:
A Body size
B Tool use
C Bipedalism
D Diet
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is B Tool use.
Homo habilis is often considered one of the first species in the genus Homo and is typically associated with the earliest evidence of tool use, while Australopithecus species, which existed earlier, are not known to have made tools. Homo habilis is distinguished by the presence of primitive stone tools, categorized under the Oldowan tool tradition. These tools were relatively simple, often made by striking rocks to produce sharp edges for cutting and processing food, such as meat or plants.
Australopithecus, on the other hand, lived around 4 to 2 million years ago and is believed to have been more focused on basic foraging behaviors, without the known use of tools. The species were primarily bipedal and had adaptations for walking on two legs, but their brains were smaller and did not show the level of sophistication seen in Homo habilis. The evolution of tool use marks a significant behavioral and cognitive advancement.
The development of tools by Homo habilis is linked to larger brain size and greater cognitive abilities compared to Australopithecus, whose brain size was closer to that of modern apes. This tool-making capability likely played a role in the survival of early Homo species by providing advantages in obtaining and processing food.
Although both species were bipedal, this characteristic is shared between the two, so the primary difference lies in the use of tools. Tool use in Homo habilis represents an essential step in human evolution, as it laid the groundwork for more advanced technologies in later species of the genus Homo, such as Homo erectus and modern humans.