| Location | Main Location |
| Location Code | 111 |
| Manufacturer | Bone Clones |
| Product Code / UPC | Quantity 1 |
The full-size set of half scale primate skulls consists of gorilla, human, and chimp Bone Clones replica skulls cast from original bone, as well as Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus boisei, Homo erectus, and Homo neanderthalensis Bone Clones:registered: skulls from the Fossil Hominid collection of carefully sculpted recreations. Useful for comparative study, these 7 skulls represent significant species in primate evolution.
Representing extant primates: the largest of the primates (Gorilla), a modern human of Asian ancestry, and the genetically closest relative (Chimpanzee) to modern humans.
Representing Fossil Hominids: A. afarensis ( 2.9 to 3.6 MYA): An early hominid found only in Africa; A. boisei (1.8 MYA): A unique species in hominid evolution with a massive skull, enormous molars and cranial adaptations for powerful chewing, hence its nickname Nutcracker Man; Homo erectus (300,000 to 600,000 YA): A remarkable recreation by Tattersall and Sawyer of Peking Man, found near Beijing, China, at the Zhoukoudian Cave in the late 1920s; H. neanderthalensis (50,000 YA): A "classic" Neanderthal, found in France, with features best representing the species.
Materials Included:
◦ Australopithecus boisei OH 5 ( Zinjanthropus)
◦ Homo neanderthalensis La Ferrassie 1
◦ Homo erectus
◦ Gorilla
◦ Human
◦ Chimpanzee
◦ Hypothesis and Skull Measurement Definition Sheets
◦ Skull Data Collection Sheet
◦ Graph and Questions Sheets
The lesson plan, intended for high school through introductory level college students, is designed to introduce students to hominid evolution and the scientific method through the use of research, data collection, and analysis using this set of seven primates. By comparing hominids to modern humans and non-human primates, students will gain an understanding of some of the skull modifications that took place during human evolution. Students will form a hypothesis, collect data through skull measurements, and analyze information to formulate a conclusion in order to find out what “mystery hominid skull” they have. This set can be useful in satisfying some of the national and state requirements of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).