prehumans
Our evolutionary predecessors
Prehumans are ancestral species that preceded modern humans in evolutionary development—hominids like Australopithecus or Homo erectus who walked upright but lacked fully human characteristics.
The term appears in discussions of evolution and paleoanthropology: Cave paintings suggest cognitive abilities that distinguish humans from prehumans.
As an adjective, prehuman describes this earlier stage: prehuman ancestors, prehuman fossils.
Extinct European hominins
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- Homo heidelbergensisPrehistoric human species, mid-Pleistocene
- DenisovansExtinct hominin species
Lucy · Ardipithecus · Cro-Magnon · great apes
Study of ancient organisms
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
skulls · bones · skeletal remains · petrification · sediment · fossil record · dating methods · cranial capacity
Creating implements for work
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- huntingPursuing wild game
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- nomadicWithout fixed residence
flintknapping · shelter · tribal · survival · scavenging · migration · cave dwelling · stone tools
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- bipedalismWalking on two limbs
brain development · opposable thumbs · upright posture · evolutionary biology · survival · fitness · genetic drift · selective pressure
Human-like primate family
- forebearsAncestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
- antecedentsThings coming before
- lineageDescent from progenitors
ancestors · descent · genealogy · origins · foremothers · forefathers · common ancestor · missing link
Neanderthals
Extinct European hominins
- Homo erectusExtinct bipedal human ancestor
- AustralopithecusExtinct hominin genus
- Homo heidelbergensisPrehistoric human species, mid-Pleistocene
Denisovans · Lucy · Ardipithecus · Cro-Magnon · great apes
paleontology
Study of ancient organisms
- excavationAct of unearthing
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
archaeology · skulls · bones · skeletal remains · petrification · sediment · fossil record · dating methods · cranial capacity · jawbones
toolmaking
Creating implements for work
nomadic · flintknapping · shelter · tribal · survival · scavenging · migration · cave dwelling · stone tools · handaxe
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
bipedalism · brain development · opposable thumbs · upright posture · evolutionary biology · survival · fitness · genetic drift · selective pressure · gradualism
hominids
Human-like primate family
- forebearsAncestral family members
- progenitorsOriginal ancestors of a lineage
- antecedentsThings coming before
lineage · ancestors · descent · genealogy · origins · foremothers · forefathers · common ancestor · missing link · evolutionary tree
prehumansHomo sapiens
Scientific name for humans
modern humans · humans · human beings · people · mankind