| species | examples | habitat | tree climbing | bipedal walking/ running | division of labor | brain size cc | gestural language | vocal language |
| great apes | chimpanzee, bonobo | forest | yes | no/no | none | small 275 - 500 cc | intermediate | primitive |
| early hominins | Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus | mixed forest-woodland | yes | yes/no | forest group-woodland group | small 300 - 550 cc | intermediate | intermediate |
| early Homos | Homo habilis, Homo naledi | mixed woodland-savanna | yes | yes/no | woodland group-savanna group | small 450 - 650 cc | intermediate | intermediate |
| middle Homos | Homo erectus | savanna | no | yes/yes | gatherer group-hunter group | medium 750 - 1225 cc | advanced | intermediate |
| late Homos | Homo sapiens, Neanderthals | fluctuating savanna | no | yes/yes | gatherer group-hunter group | large human average 1350 cc | advanced | advanced |