Final answer:
Homo habilis is the likely stone tool maker at Olduvai, producing Oldowan tools utilized for various cutting and butchering tasks. The development of these tools signifies a significant advancement in hominin behavior and technology, paving the way for future innovations such as the Acheulean tool industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Olduvai Gorge has provided the oldest evidence for hominin tool making, with the manufacturing of Oldowan stone tools occurring roughly from 2.5 to 1.5 million years ago (MYA). The primary hominins present in Africa during the advent of the Oldowan tool industry were Homo habilis and possibly Paranthropus boisei. Although initially attributed to H. habilis, known as the handy man, recent evidence suggests that stone tools may predate this species.
A key feature of Oldowan tools lies in their manufacturing technique, known as hard hammer percussion, which entails chipping away flakes from a core to fashion rudimentary tools with sharp edges. These implements were versatile in function, utilized in a range of tasks such as hunting, butchering, and marrow extraction. Homo habilis was likely the primary producer of these tools, actively using them and possibly teaching others through imitation, a precursor capability that paved the way for gestural communication and language development.
While H. habilis is commonly associated with Oldowan toolmaking, later species including Homo ergaster continued using these stone tools while also developing more complex ones, such as those of the Acheulean industry.