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Human Evolution Timeline – Known time spans for hominid fossils
Eugene M. McCarthy, Ph.D.
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Hominid or hominin?
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Some scientists use a definition
of Hominidae that includes the
great apes, and instead use the
term hominins to refer to what
are called "hominids" on this site.
The latter is the older term for
humans and other, extinct human-
related bipedal primates. The
former is used by scientists who
think names should be changed as
theories of relationship change.
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The human evolution timeline below shows the times during which the various hominids existed. It also provides links to detailed articles on each. You can access articles about each hominid by clicking on its name in the timeline (for summary information about each hominid see the human evolution chart).
This visual format allows you to easily compare the lengths of time that different hominids existed (see the timescale at the bottom of the human evolution timeline), and to tell what different types overlapped in time. For example, you can see in the timeline that Homo erectus existed longer than any other hominid and coexisted during that time with no less than nine other hominid types. The various genera are indicated by color (green indicates Homo, orange, Australopithecus, etc.).
The time spans shown are based strictly on paleontological data, the most reliable source of information. Together, these hominids represent all of the fossil evidence for human evolution.
You can access articles about each type of hominid by clicking on its name in the timeline:
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| Millions of years
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*The earliest fossil assigned to Homo rudolfensis, KNM-ER 1470, is of uncertain age, at least 1.9, but perhaps as much as 2.5 million years old.
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