Final answer:
The first hominin to leave Africa was Homo erectus, which migrated out of the African continent between 1.8 and 1.5 million years ago, spreading to various regions across Eurasia.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question “The first hominin that left Africa is sometimes called…” is A. Homo erectus. Homo erectus is an early species in the genus Homo that first evolved about 1.9 million years ago in East Africa. This hominin is significant for being the first to migrate out of Africa and into Eurasia. The migrations began roughly between 1.8 and 1.5 million years ago, and Homo erectus managed to reach regions including North Africa, the Near East, Europe, and East and South Asia over extended periods. Reasons for this extensive migration likely included factors such as climate change and following prey animals.
Homo habilis and Homo ergaster were also early hominins existing around the same period, but the evidence points to Homo erectus as the pioneering species that ventured out of the African continent. Homo habilis, often known as 'handy man' due to its association with stone tools, is believed to have lived approximately 2.5 to 1.4 million years ago in East Africa and is likely ancestral to Homo erectus. However, it did not leave Africa. On the contrary, Homo erectus developed more sophisticated stone tools and had a brain size that was about three-fourths the size of that of modern humans.