Essay About Oldest Known Hominid Species And Australopithecus Anamensis

Human Evolution
Human Evolution
Human Evolution
Ardipithecus ramidus
This species was announced in September 1994. It is thought to
be the oldest known hominid species. It was dated at 4.4 million
years old. The majority of the fossils found were skull fragments.
Other evidence suggests that this species was bipedal. The
individuals were about four feet tall. Some fossils found indicate
that ramidus may have been a forest dweller. The teeth resemble
something between earlier apes and A. afarensis. The fossils were
discovered by a team led by Tim White in Aramis Ethiopia. The
find consists of 17 individuals.
Australopithecus anamensis
This species was named in August 1995. The fossils were mostly
found in Kanapoi Kenya in 1988. Anamensis is thought to have
existed between 4.2 and 3.9 million years ago. The teeth and jaws
are very similar to those of older fossil apes. A partial tibia
supports bipedality. The first fossil of this species was found in
Kanapoi Kenya by Bryan Patterson. The fossil was a lower left
humerous dated to be about 4.0 million years old.
Australopithecus afarensis
This species existed between 3.9 and 3.0 million years ago. It had
an apelike face with a low forehead, a bony ridge over the eyes, a
flat nose, and no chin. They had protruding jaws with large teeth.
The skull is similar to that of a chimpanzee except for more human
like teeth. The canines of this species were smaller than those of
earlier apes but larger than humans. Their pelvis and leg bones
left no doubt that they were bipedal. They had similar hands to
humans and were about 3.5 to 5.0 feet tall. Footprints of this
species were discovered in 1978 by Paul Abel at Laetoli in
Tanzania. The estimated age is 3.7 million years old.
Australopithecus africanus
A. africanus lived between 3 and 2 million years ago. Their body
sizes and brain sizes were slightly larger than afarensis. The shape
of their jaw was fully parabolic, like that of humans, and the
canine teeth have reduced in size. This species fossils were
discovered by Raymond Dart in 1924 at Taung in south Africa.
The find consisted of a full face, teeth and jaws, and an
endocranial cast of the brain. It is between 2 and 3 million years
Australopithicus garhi
It is known from a partial skull that differs from previous
australopithecus species in the combination of its features. They
had extremely large teeth especially the rear ones. The skull was
discovered by Y. Haile-Selassie in 1997 at Bouri in Ethiopia. It is
about 2.5 million years old.
Australopithecus aethiopicus
A. aethiopicus existed between 2.6 and 2.3 million years ago. This
species is known from the Black Skull specimen discovered by
Alan Walker in 1985 near West Turkana in Kenya. The specimen