What is the Genus Homo?
Homo is a genus of primate, the only living species being Homo sapiens, or humans. The genus Homo is characterized by an upright posture, large brains, high intelligence, and hairlessness. Some of the most famous members of the genus are Homo habilis (lived 2.5 – 1.6 mya), Homo erectus (2 million – 200,000 years ago), Homo heidelbergensis (600,000 to 250,000 years ago), Homo neanderthalis (130,000 – 30,000 years ago), Homo floresiensis (95,000 to 13,000 years ago) and Homo sapiens (200,000 years ago to present). Other, less-often-mentioned species include Homo helmei, Homo njarasensis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo atlanthropus, Homo rhodesiensis, Homo georgicus, Homo antecessor, and Homo cepranensis, for a total of 14 currently known species. The genus Homo may be considered among the most successful land animals in the history of the planet. Although members of this genus do not exceed the biomass or numbers of certain groups of bacteria or Antarctic krill, their abilities, including self-r
