Just less than two and a half million years ago, in the Early Pleistocene epoch of Eastern Africa, a group of hairy, bipedal apes evolved, and soon after, began to use basic stone tools. They didn't know it, but they were the first species of a new genus that would one day transform the world beyond recognition. This was Homo habilis - the very first species of true human, under the genus name Homo - the full binominal name translating to 'handy man'. For almost a million years, these apes would live in social colonies across the plains and savannahs of Eastern and Southern Africa, and were our earliest human ancestors. Life wasn't easy for them, though. The plains of prehistoric Africa were wild, filled with danger, and life was often short and perilous. Homo habilis persisted however, and a group of individuals would one day split from the species, stepping one pace closer on the path to you and me. Today, we will be taking a look at how these strange early apes lived, how they evolved, how they were built, where they lived, and, ultimately, how they died. Welcome to our documentary on Homo habilis - the very first species of human.