Homo habilis

The remains found in the 1960s at the site of the Olduvai Gorge were attributed to the then new species - Homo habilis. The brain size of the individuals found at that time was between the brain size of the australopithecines and the then known individuals of Homo erectus, so it was the brain size that served the researchers as an argument for classifying the remains from the Olduvai Gorge into a new species of our genus.

H. habilis is characterized by a smaller chewing apparatus and a larger brain and the use of more sophisticated tools. It is not yet clear which previous australopithecine species is the ancestor of H. habilis, but one possible candidate is Au. garhi, although the finding of jaws from Ledi-Geraru calls these assumptions into question.