Homo habilis
/ˌhəʊməʊ ˈhabɪlɪs/Palaeontology
noun
An extinct hominid that is the earliest and most primitive known member of the human genus Homo, living in Africa between about 2.3 and 1.4 million years ago.
- Homo habilis was the successor to the australopithecines, but it is not clear if it was the ancestor of Homo ergaster, H. erectus, and modern man..
Origin
1960s; earliest use found in Louis Leakey (1903–1972), archaeologist and palaeoanthropologist. From scientific Latin Homo habilis, species name from Homo, genus name + scientific Latin habilis, specific name, specifically use classical Latin habilis skilful, able.