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How did the brain size of Homo habilis compare with that of Australopithecus?

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An illustration of Homo habilis, an early human ancestor, shown walking upright with a hairy body and ape-like features. A scale beside the figure indicates height in inches and centimeters. — Homo habilis Artist's rendering of *Homo habilis*, which lived from 2 to 1.5 million years ago.

The braincase of Homo habilis was notably larger than that of Australopithecus. While Australopithecus species typically possessed an average cranial capacity of approximately 440 cc, Homo habilis exhibited a larger average capacity of about 640 cc.12

Individual specimens of Homo habilis show a range of brain sizes, generally spanning from slightly over 500 cc to nearly 800 cc. In contrast, the brain sizes of various Australopithecus species, such as A. afarensis and A. africanus, were closer in mass to those of modern chimpanzees. This increase in brain size is considered a significant evolutionary development associated with the emergence of the Homo genus.123