The Human Footprint

The Human Footprint

Humans and their environments have inherently changed each other over millions of years.

The early evolution and spread of humans around the planet were shaped by their environments. Over time, the effects of human activities have become visible everywhere. Evidence of human interactions with these environments is seen in the record of changes in animal and plant fossils, the chemistry of rocks, and the objects our ancient relatives left behind.

In this gallery, you can learn about huge animals that interacted with early humans, track the evolution of our species through replicas of fossilized remains, and understand how humans continue to affect the environment today.

Moa

Humans reached the islands of New Zealand less than 1,000 years ago. Their activities drove the moa to extinction within only 150 years.

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Photo credit: Andy Melien / Yale Peabody Museum

Lucy - Replica

Many fossils from Lucy’s species have been found, but with 40% of the skeleton recovered, Lucy is among the most complete.

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Photo credit: Andy Melien / Yale Peabody Museum

Dodo

Does this dodo look considerably less cartoonish than you remember? Our new model has been updated to reflect recent dodo research–slimmer and more athletic!

Dodo

Photo credit: Andy Melien / Yale Peabody Museum

Giant Ground Sloth

This ancient sloth was buried in bat guano, which preserved some of its skin, fur, and ligaments along with its bones.

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Photo credit: Andy Melien / Yale Peabody Museum

Mastodon

Mastodons originated in Africa and spread across Eurasia and North America. Mastodons and mammoths could coexist because they ate different foods.

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Photo credit: Andy Melien / Yale Peabody Museum