Timeline of human history - Timeline 7. 25,000,000 BP to Present - Apes in Africa and Europe. Build-up to the Quaternary Ice Age. From Afropithecus to Australopithecus

Timeline of human history
version 2 - by Finn Sivert Nielsen

Previous text	Return to Graphic	Next text

Timeline 7 - 25,000,000 BP to Present
Apes in Africa and Europe. Build-up to the Quaternary Ice Age. From Afropithecus to Australopithecus

In this snapshot of the last 25 million years we see details of the cooling trend previously referred to, including the closure of the Panama gap, which effectively isolated the Atlantic from the (warmer) Pacific Ocean waters. We also follow up the fate of our Apish ancestors, how they part ways with orangutans, gorillas, and finally (6 million years ago) with chimpanzees. Along the way they move to Europe for a few million years, where they diversify, while their African cousins seemingly die out. Then they move back to Africa, where they part ways with the chimpanzees, develop bipedality (walking on two feet; 6 million years ago), and begin to use simple stone tools (3.4 million years ago). Slowly, slowly, with many ups and downs, things are getting colder and drier, colder and drier, as we approach the Quaternary Ice-Age. This is the first timeline in which our own species can be discerned, as a millimeter-long line right close to the Present. Somewhat further from the Present, we see the first known member of the genus homo: homo habilis. Later timelines will aquaint us with other members of the genus.