guide to known fossils to date

1. Dejonia Mitchell
ANP440
Fossil Hominid Guide
Superfamily Hominoidea (hominoids)
Family Hylobatidae (hylobatids)
Genus Hylobates
Family Pongidae (pongids)
Genus Pongo
Genus Gorilla
Genus Pan
Family Hominidae (hominids)
Subfamily Australopithecinae (australopithecines)
Genus Ardipithecus
Genus Australopithecus
Genus Kenyanthropus
Genus Orrorin
Genus Paranthropus
Genus Sahelanthropus
Subfamily Homininae (hominines)
Genus Homo

2. Family Hominidae (hominids)
Subfamily Australopithecinae (australopithecines)
Genus Sahelanthropus
Genus Paranthropus
Species: Sahelanthropus tchadensi
Specimen number: TM 266-01-060-1 (Toumaï)
Paleoanthropologist: Team led by Michel Brunet
Site: Toros-Menalla, Chad
Date Discovered: 2001
Morphologies: Almost complete cranium,
Vertical face, small braincase and huge brow
ridge
Age: 7-6 million years ago
Species: Paranthropus Aethiopicus
Specimen number: KNM-WT 17000
(The Black Skull)
Paleoanthropologist: Alan Walker
Site: West Turkana, Kenya
Age: ~2.5 mya
Date Discovered: 1985
Morphologies: protruding face, powerful
jaw, and a well-developed sagittal crest

3. Species: Paranthropus Boisei
Specimen number: KNM-ER 406
Paleoanthropologist: Richard Leakey
and H. Mutua
Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya
Age: ~1.7 mya
Date Discovered: 1969
Morphologies: massive cheek teeth,
wide zygomatic arches and large
cheek bones
Species: Paranthropus Boisei
Specimen number: KNM-ER 732 A
Paleoanthropologist: Richard Leakey
and H. Mutua
Site: Koobi Fora, Kenya
Age: ~1.7 mya
Date Discovered: 1970
Morphologies: female half of cranium,
wide flat face, no sagittal crest
Species: Paranthropus boisei
Specimen number: OH 5 (Zinj)
Paleoanthropologist: Mary Leakey
Site: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Age: ~1.8 mya
Date Discovered: 1959
Morphologies: Almost complete cranium of adult male,

4. Orrorin
Species: Paranthropus Robustus
Specimen number: SK 46
Paleoanthropologist: Local Man
Site: Swartkrans, South Africa
Age: 1.8 and 1.5 mya
Date Discovered: 1936
Morphologies: Left half of brain
case,
Species: Paranthropus Robustus
Specimen number: SK 48
Paleoanthropologist: Local Man
Site: Swartkrans, South Africa
Age: 1.8 and 1.5 mya
Date Discovered: 1950
Morphologies: almost all cranium, right canine and
first premolar and all left molars
Species: Orrorin Tugenensis
Specimen number: BAR 1002`00
Paleoanthropologist: Brigitte Senut and Martin Pickford
Site: Tugen Hills, Kenya
Age: ~6 mya
Date Discovered: 2001
Morphologies: Left femur, teeth, humerus, mandibles and
fingers

5. Kenyanthropus
Ardipithecus
Species: Kenyanthropus platyops
Specimen number: KNM-WT 40000
Paleoanthropologist: Meave Leakey
Site: Lomekwi, Kenya
Age: 3.5 and 3.2 mya
Date Discovered: 1999
Morphologies: small teeth, flat face,
Species: Ardipithecus ramidus
Specimen number: ARA-VP-6/500 (Ardi)
Paleoanthropologist: Tim White
Site: Aramis, Ethiopia
Age: 4.4 mya
Date Discovered: 1994
Morphologies: partial female cranium, grasping big toe

6. Australopithecus
Species: Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba
Specimen number:
Paleoanthropologist: Yohannes Haile-Selassie
Site: Awash Valleys, Ethiopia
Age: 5.2 to 5.8 mya
Date Discovered: 1997
Morphologies: 11 specimens, five individuals,
canines and molars
Species: Australopithecus afarensis
Specimen number: AL 288-1 (Lucy)
Paleoanthropologist: Donald Johanson and
Maurice Taieb
Site: Hadar, Ethiopia
Age: ~ 3.2 mya
Date Discovered: 1974
Morphologies: bipedalism, partial Skelton

7. Species: Australopithecus anamensis
Specimen number: KNM-KP 29285
Paleoanthropologist: Meave Leakey
and Alan Walker
Site: Kanapoi, kenya
Age: ~ 4.1 mya
Date Discovered: 1994
Morphologies: proximal tibia,
bipedalism
Species: Australopithecus africanus
Specimen number: Taung 1 (Taung Child)
Site: Taung, Republic of South Africa
Date of discovery: 1924
Paleoanthropologist: Raymond Dart
Age: ~ 2.8 million years old
Morphologies: 3years old, bipedalism, full face,
teeth and jaws, and an endocranial cast of the
brain, small canines.
Species: Australopithecus garhi
Specimen number: BOU-VP-12/130
Paleoanthropologist: Yohannes Haile-
Selassie
Site: Bouri Formation
Age: ~ 2.5 mya
Date Discovered: 1999
Morphologies: Male, frontal, parietals,
maxilla, large dentition

8. Subfamily Homininae (hominines)
Genus Homo
Species: Australopithecus sediba
Specimen number: MH1
Paleoanthropologist: Matthew Berger
Site: Malapa
Age: 1.9-1.7 mya
Date Discovered: 2008
Morphologies: skull and partial skeleton
Species: Homo Rudolfensis
Specimen number: KNM-ER 1470
Paleoanthropologist: Bernard Ngeneo
Site: Koobi, Kenya
Age: ~ 1.9 mya
Date Discovered: 1972
Morphologies: large cranium long and wide, flat
face, large teeth

9. Species: Homo habilis
Specimen number: OH 24 (twiggy)
Paleoanthropologist: Peter Nzube
Site: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Age: 1.8 mya
Date Discovered: 1968
Morphologies: crushed cranium and seven
teeth, small brain size
Species: Homo erectus
Specimen number: OH 9
Paleoanthropologist: Louis Leakey
Site: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Age: 1.4 mya
Date Discovered: 1960
Morphologies: partial braincase, massive
brow ridges and large brain size
Species: Homo floresiensis
Specimen number: LB-1 (Hobbit)
Paleoanthropologist:
Site: Liang Bua, Indonesia
Age: 18000 years old
Date Discovered: 2003
Morphologies: leg bones, parts of the pelvis, hands
and feet, small brain size, no chin

10. Superfamily Hominoidea (hominoids)
Family Hylobatidae (hylobatids)
Genus Hylobates
Family Pongidae (pongids)
Genus Pongo
Genus Gorilla
Genus Pan
Species: Homo sapiens
Specimen number: KNM-ER-23000
Paleoanthropologist: Louis Laret
Site: Cro-Magnon, France
Age: ~30,000 years old
Date Discovered: 1868
Morphologies: skull
Species: Sivapithecus
Specimen number:
Paleoanthropologist:
Site: Turkey through India, East to southeast China
Age: 16-7 mya
Date Discovered:
Morphologies: dished face, broad cheekbones and
projecting jaw and incisors