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Homo (genus)

Homo

|- style="text-align:center;" ! style="background: pink;" | Scientific classification |- style="text-align:center;" |

|- valign=top |Kingdom:||Animalia |- valign=top |Phylum:||Chordata |- valign=top |Class:||Mammalia |- valign=top |Order:||Primates |- valign=top |Family:||Hominidae |- valign=top |Subfamily:||Homininae |- valign=top |Genus:||Homo
Linnaeus, 1758 |} |- style="text-align:center; background:pink;" !Species |- | Homo erectus
Homo ergaster
Homo floresiensis
Homo habilis
Homo heidelbergensis
Homo neanderthalensis
Homo rudolfensis
Homo sapiens |} Homo is the genus that includes humans and their close relatives. All species and subspecies except Homo sapiens sapiens are extinct; the last surviving relative, Homo neanderthalensis, died out 30,000 years ago, although recent evidence suggests that Homo floresiensis lived as recently as 12,000 years ago.

A minority of zoologists consider that the chimpanzees (usually treated in the genus Pan) should also be included in the genus.

Contents

Species

The last three have been considered to be subspecies of Homo sapiens, but analysis of mitochondrial DNA from H. neanderthalensis fossils suggests that the difference is great enough to count as a separate species.

See also

References

  • Serre et al. No evidence of Neandertal mtDNA contribution to early modern humans. PLoS Biology 2:313–7 (2004).

External links

  • Hominid species http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/species.html



Last updated: 02-07-2005 14:57:17
Last updated: 05-01-2005 03:32:30