Australopithecines
Kenyanthropus platyops
3.5–3.2 Ma·300 ka·Discovered 1999
Description
Flat face and small teeth. Found near Lomekwi 3, the oldest known stone tool site (3.3 Ma).
Notable facts
- Name means "flat-faced man of Kenya"
- Genus assignment remains debated
- Lomekwi 3 tools predate genus Homo
- Contemporary of A. afarensis
Key specimens
KNM-WT 40000
Holotype cranium
Found at Lomekwi by Justus Erus in 1999.
Anatomy
Flat midface, small molars, intermediate brain size.
Locomotion
Bipedal.
Diet
Mixed diet, smaller molars suggest softer foods.
Tools & culture
Possibly associated with Lomekwian stone tools.
Where to see it
Nairobi National Museum.
Media & references
Image ·
Wikimedia Commons · Wikipedia article
Leakey, Spoor, Brown, Gathogo, Kiarie, Leakey & McDougall (2001). New hominin genus from eastern Africa shows diverse middle Pliocene lineages. Nature.
doi: 10.1038/35068500 ↗