Whats more important in the identification of a fossil as “hominid”?
This is how I see it. Brain size doesn’t matter because we find all sizes out in the animal world and the Neanderthal had a larger brain but died out. Walking upright doesn’t mean a thing but the method of locomotion. It is the hands and feet that make a difference. The finger size compared to the size of the hand is the difference. Shorter fingers gave the advantage of being able to work more effectively and more detailed leading us to increased hand activity and expanded the brain. Smaller feet lead to sure footedness. Sure, we had to walk upright in order to use our hands but upright by itself is nothing. This is the answer to your question. Previous thought said that larger brains came first but with new fossil finds it is now bipedalism.
