The Homo erectus Female Revisited

Bibliographic Data

ID19459988
AuthorsLeslie C Aiello (0000-0001-9546-0963, Wenner‐Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research New York New York USA, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume37
Issue6
Pagese70091-e70091
Publication date2025-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Human Biology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1042-0533 • E-ISSN: 1520-6300
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajhb.70091
PMID40552455
OpenAlexW4411611049
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited35

The Energetic Consequences of Being a Homo erectus Female was published in the American Journal of Human Biology over two decades ago. This paper drew attention to the high body‐size‐related reproductive costs of an H. erectus female if she retained the same reproductive schedule of smaller‐bodied earlier hominins modeled on the schedule for modern Pan . The main conclusion was that the energetic cost per offspring would be significantly reduced by adopting a modern human reproductive schedule with a shorter lactation period and an overall shorter interbirth interval. To make this possible and support the energetic requirements of the larger body size, there would have had to be a fundamental shift in subsistence behavior involving a higher‐quality diet and intergenerational cooperation in food acquisition. This paper re‐evaluates these conclusions based on recent energetic research developments. Although the modeling parameters have changed, the conclusions are still valid. Their implications are discussed in light of modern research on the increase in body and brain size and the evolution of cooperative subsistence behavior

Biology · Homo erectus · Offspring · Pregnancy · Schedule · Sociology · Subsistence agriculture · Computer Science · Demography · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Ecology · Paleontology

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