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Prehistoric Life

How tall was Homo erectus?

An adult Homo erectus stood about 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) tall.

What is measured: adult standing height

Homo erectus (1.7 m) drawn to scale beside an adult person (1.7 m) and a doorway (2 m)
Drawn to scale, from left to right: Homo erectus (1.7 m), Adult person (1.7 m) and Doorway (2 m).

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How big is that, really?

  • About the same height as an adult person
  • A little shorter than a doorway
  • About 4.5× as tall as a bowling pin
  • About 28% of the length of a 20-foot shipping container
  • About 12× as tall as a smartphone

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Facts about Homo erectus

Homo erectus was the first human species known to have spread widely beyond Africa.

Source: Smithsonian Institution, Human Origins: Homo erectus; Australian Museum, Homo erectus

Prehistoric Life

NameSizeCompared with Homo erectus
Pterodactylus antiquus1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)0.88×
Thylacoleo carnifex1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)0.88×
Ichthyostega stensioei1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)0.88×
Neanderthal1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)0.97×
Dimetrodon grandis1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)same size
Homo erectus1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)this page
Gastornis gigantea1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)1.1×
Coelodonta antiquitatis1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)1.1×
Rhamphorhynchus muensteri1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)1.1×
Dire wolf1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)1.1×

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