Walking with Cavemen - Episode 2: Blood Brothers

Description

Episode Two: "Blood Brothers"

The second episode leaps forward to a time when Paranthropus boisei, Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis co-exist. H. habilis is depicted as an intelligent omnivore that is more adaptable than the herbivorous P. boisei. The two species are contrasted, with H. habilis being "a jack of all trades", while P. boisei are "a master of one" - i.e. they are specialized herbivores while H. habilis are generalized omnivores. Consequently, though P. boisei are able to eat termites, tall grasses and hard acacia  pods in difficult times, they will not be able to survive in the future, when at the beginning of the next Ice Age the climate will change, and these plants will be gone for good. H. habilis, on the contrary, have become smart by eating carrion and bone marrow among other things, and evolving a basic social behavior, which is more firm than that of P. boisei, will continue to survive, until it evolves into Homo ergaster, seen in the next episode, who has developed these traits to a greater extent.

The episode also briefly shows the H. rudolfensis, remarking that albeit they are taller, they are very similar to the H. habilis.

    Time: 2 Million Years Ago
    Place: East Africa
    * Paranthropus boisei
    * Homo habilis
    * Dinofelis
    * Deinotherium
    * Ancylotherium
    * Homo rudolfensis

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