How did the erectus travel from Africa to South America? Any information someone might have on this would be helpful and extra info is greatly appreciated!! Thanks
There's no evidence that erectus was ever in South America. Check these sites for details.
http://www.archaeologyinfo.com/homoerectus.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_evolution#Homo_ergaster_and_Homo_erectus
http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/earlyhum/earlyman.htm
To clarify, erectus did not directly travel from Africa to South America. erectus was an early human species that lived in Africa and Eurasia approximately 2 million to 200,000 years ago. The migration of early humans to the Americas occurred much later with different species, such as Homo sapiens.
The colonization of the Americas by early humans is believed to have occurred around 20,000 to 15,000 years ago during the late Pleistocene epoch. This occurred through a process known as the "Bering land bridge," which connected Asia and North America due to lower sea levels during the glacial period.
Here's how the migration likely happened:
1. The early humans, likely Homo sapiens, inhabited areas of northeastern Asia, in what is now Siberia, approximately 20,000 years ago.
2. As the Earth entered a glacial period, large amounts of water locked up in glaciers lowered the sea levels.
3. As a result, the Bering Strait between northeastern Asia and present-day Alaska was exposed, creating a land bridge known as Beringia.
4. Early humans took advantage of the Bering land bridge and migrated from Asia to North America.
5. They gradually dispersed throughout North and South America, adapting to different environments.
It's important to note that erectus, as a species, did not directly participate in this migration. This particular species had become extinct long before this colonization event took place.
If you are specifically interested in the migration routes and timings of different human species, it would be beneficial to further explore anthropological and archaeological studies that focus on human migration patterns and fossil records.