When and how did walking first appear? This is an important subject since many anthropologists see Bipedalism, or walking on two legs, as a distinguishing feature of “Hominins,” or contemporary humans and their predecessors. However, it is impossible to provide a straightforward solution since bipedalism did not arise overnight. It went through a gradual evolution that began millions of years ago.
It was three million years ago, in Kenya, when footprints revealed walking patterns that were strikingly comparable to those of modern people. Since then, mankind have invented several methods of walking and put them to use. Fortunately, the form of a our bones and how they fit together can reveal how that body moved while it was alive. Anthropologists can also unearth evidence in the terrain indicating how ancient humans walked.
In 1994, Ethiopian researchers found the first remains of an undiscovered hominid. The latest find, an adult female named Ardipithecus ramidus, also known as “Ardi,” was given that name by the anthropologists who made the discovery. Over the next ten years, more than 100 fossils belonging to Ardi’s species were found and dated to between 4.2 million and 4.4 million years ago.
When experts investigated this collection of bones, they discovered features that indicated Bipedalism. The foot, for example, possessed a structure that allowed for toe push-off, something four-legged apes do not have. The form of the pelvic bones, the location of the legs under the pelvis, and the way the leg bones fit together all suggested upright walking. Ardi may not have walked exactly how we do now, but Bipedalism as the predominant mode of mobility appears to be representative of these fossils dating back 4.4 million years.
Anthropologists have already discovered a about 40%-complete skeleton of a hominid species that lived in Ethiopia around a million years after Ardi. Because of its resemblance to other fossils discovered in southern and eastern Africa, scientists named it Australopithecus afarensis, which means “southern ape from the afar area” in Latin. Because this person was female, they named her “Lucy” after a famous Beatles song at the time.
Since the addition of more than 300 members of this species to the group, scientists have a wealth of knowledge on Lucy and her family members.
Nobody Invented Walking
It may be necessary to state the obvious: walking was not invented. By no one or anything. Walking is an instinctive behaviour that has existed since animals first set foot on earth hundreds of millions of years ago. Arthropods, according to scientists, were the first organisms to walk on land. Millipedes, in particular, are the earliest known terrestrial creatures. They initially appeared roughly 400 million years ago and have since spread far and wide.
An Examination Of Bipedalism
Bipedalism refers to walking on two legs, which people learn about the first year of their existence. But, as normal as walking appears to be, there was a period when walking upright was unheard of. Living organisms walked on all fours when they evolved lengthy limbs. Many animals can only move around on four limbs even today.
Although the capacity to walk erect on two legs is an important evolutionary hallmark for humans, bipedal mobility is not exclusive to humans. Some creatures, such as gorillas, bears, kangaroos, ostriches, and the Australian frilled lizard, can walk on two feet.
The Eudibamus reptile is the first known bipedal species, capable of moving on only two legs. However, the extent of its bipedalism is still being debated.
Some creatures that can walk on two legs do not always do so since they can also walk on all fours. They also walk in a different manner than we do. Other bipedal animals waddle or hop whereas humans walk erect in steps (unless in situations of impairments or deformities). Our unusual walk is due to our shorter limbs, pelvic form, and bent spine.
Who developed the way people walk today?
To discover out, we’d have to go back in time and examine our evolutionary past. Back to the Hominins, our ape ancestors. They lived millions of years ago, and of course, there weren’t many means to retain knowledge back then. So, how does science solve it? Scientists investigate fossils using a battery of experiments and observations that produce useful information.
Other groups, such as insects, arachnids, and many other forms of life, walked on land long before the first vertebrates did. It is worth mentioning that while most adult insects have legs, they prefer to move about via flying. They have legs, thus they must be considered walkers, right?
Human evolution and walking
Scientists think that modern humans, Homo sapiens, originated from a lineage of now-extinct apes. We initially arrived on Earth some 300,000 years ago and are the only members of the hominin8, or human tribe, still alive.
You’ve probably heard that humans originated from apes according to evolutionary theory. Scientists have discovered indisputable parallels between humans and apes, ancient and modern.
The discovery of the first hominin, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, heralded the separation of the human DNA from its last common ancestor with big apes and chimps. The tribe evolved over millions of years from that initial hominin, and one of the important adaptations that lead to modern humans is human walking.
The history of human evolution is not fully linear4, and numerous human species have lived, co-existed, and may have even intermarried at various points. Because the human lineage contains many distinct species, we focus on the hominins that best give historical information on our type of bipedalism.
Who among our extinct ancestors created walking?
Orrorin Tugenensis
Bipedalism was discovered in the remains of the Orrorin tugensis hominid species. It lived around 6 million years ago, and fossils of it were unearthed in central Kenya. Scientists discovered only a few fossils, but they gave important information.
This organism possessed femurs comparable to modern humans, indicating bipedal mobility. However, scientists still don’t know how frequently they walked on two legs.
Ardipithecus Ramidus
Scientists uncovered multiple petrified skeleton remains of a now-extinct monkey species in Ethiopia and Tanzania beginning in 1994 and spanning many decades. They named them “Ardipithecus Ramidus” and discovered they existed around 4.2 million years ago5.
The fossils of the Ardi species revealed a foot anatomy that allowed it to do the same type of toe push-off that humans have today. Four-legged apes lack this toe push-off. Bipedal walking was indicated by the structure of their pelvic bones and how their leg bones fit together.
Australopithecus Afarensis
In Ethiopia, scientists discovered remains of one Hominin species. They were given the name Australopithecus afarensis, which translates as “southern ape from the afar area,” since they resembled other fossils discovered in eastern and southern Africa. These primates existed around 3.85 million years ago.
They called the first one they discovered Lucy, after a popular Beatles song at the time; pelvic bones proved she was female. Although Lucy’s species only had a partial pelvis, the fit of her upper leg bones revealed that she walked erect on two feet.
Homo Habilis
Homo Habilis was one of the genus Homo’s first members. They were present in eastern and southern Africa between 2.4 million and 1.4 million years ago. They shared certain traits with humans, such as smaller teeth and bigger brain cases. They still possessed ape-like long arms.
Some experts believe that the first tool manufacturers were H. habilis. They had quick hands and created rudimentary stone tools known as Oldowan instruments. Scientists discovered that this species walked on two legs yet nevertheless jumped from tree to tree, as do most non-human primates today, thanks to fossils of this species.
Homo Erectus
Homo erectus walked on two legs. They initially emerged some 1.9 million years ago in Africa. Homo erectus, according to anthropologists, was an early member of our species in the human tribe family bush. They had a significantly bigger brain than earlier hominins and created the Acheulean implements, which are stone tools.
These animals were the first to evolve shorter arms and longer legs, allowing them to walk on two feet with the stride we have today. The homo Erectus had stronger knees, more angled femurs, a curvier spine, and more hip support than our forefathers. They possessed longer femurs than modern humans, allowing them to walk over longer distances.
