Australopithecines
Australopithecus anamensis
4.2–3.8 Ma·400 ka·Discovered 1995
Description
Likely ancestor of A. afarensis. In 2019 the MRD-VP-1/1 cranium was published — the most complete of any australopithecine.
Notable facts
- Bipedalism confirmed by tibia
- Ate hard fruits and seeds
- MRD-VP-1/1 found in 2016 at Woranso-Mille
- Coexisted with A. afarensis for at least 100,000 years
Key specimens
MRD-VP-1/1
Most complete cranium
Nearly complete cranium published in 2019, found at Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia.
Anatomy
Robust mandible, parallel tooth rows, thick enamel.
Locomotion
Confirmed obligate bipedal.
Diet
Hard objects: nuts, seeds, tubers.
Where to see it
Nairobi National Museum / National Museum of Ethiopia.
Media & references
Image ·
Wikimedia Commons · Wikipedia article
Leakey, Feibel, McDougall & Walker (1995). New four-million-year-old hominid species from Kanapoi and Allia Bay, Kenya. Nature.
doi: 10.1038/376565a0 ↗