Following the Homo Habilis, the Homo Erectus species, nicknamed “The Upright Man,” lived 1.6 million years to at least 250,000 years ago located from Eastern Africa and Western Asia. Current evidence explains that all hominins before the Homo Erectus were living in Africa. The first fossils were found in Asia where they survived for a long time. They traveled into Eastern Asia including China and they were long-term inhabitants in Java in Southeast Asia where fossils date from 1.6 million years ago. The Homo Erectus survived more recently in Taiwan, Phillippeness, and Sulawesi. The skull of the Homo Erectus contained very small and primitive teeth which would evolve later for better eating. The actual skull of the Erectus was also thinner and a smaller overall size compared to later generations of hominids. In comparison to their torso the regular Homo Erectus would have long legs and short arms which helped them for running and hunting food. The average Erectus adult was around 5 foot 3 and 115 pounds and had a brain about half the size of those of today. Compared to today’s humans, the Homo Erectus had a very long face. 

The Homo erectus lived as hunter gatherers for their entire existence and had simple stone tools at their disposal. Their diet likely consisted mostly of meat and marrow as they may have used their long legs for running over a distance to track down their food. Their simple tools were used to scrape up their food and the discovery of fire allowed them to cook this food for overall better health. Because they were hunter gatherers they likely consumed a fair amount of plants in their lifetime as well. The Homo Erectus were the first to use fire and sophisticated tools such as stone axes, sharp stone cleavers, and finger-size scrapers to slice off some sides of meat. One of the tools made was the stone tool technology which was called the Acheulean which was used to butcher and skin game, dig in soil, and cut wood and other plant materials.