Australopithecines · New finding · 2024+
Australopithecus deyiremeda
3.5–3.3 Ma·200 ka·Discovered 2015
Description
Coexisted with Lucy only kilometers away. In 2025 it was linked to the "Burtele foot", confirming multiple species in the same place at the same time.
Notable facts
- Name means "close relative" in Afar
- The Burtele foot still had a grasping toe
- Refuted the single-lineage view of evolution
- Confirmed in Nature 2025
Key specimens
BRT-VP-3/1
Type mandible
Mandible found at Burtele, Ethiopia. Published in Nature 2015.
Burtele foot
BRT-VP-2/73 foot
Partial foot with grasping hallux — linked to this species in 2025.
Anatomy
Robust mandible, vertical face, prehensile foot.
Locomotion
Mixed: bipedal but capable of climbing.
Diet
Plant-based, isotopic evidence suggests less grass than afarensis.
Where to see it
National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
Media & references
Image ·
Wikimedia Commons · Wikipedia article
Haile-Selassie, Gibert, Melillo, Ryan, Alene, Deino, Levin, Scott & Saylor (2015). New species from Ethiopia further expands Middle Pliocene hominin diversity. Nature.
doi: 10.1038/nature14448 ↗