Just over 10 km from the location of KNM-ER 1470’s discovery, this specimen was discovered by Daniel Elgitei in 2009, encased in a block of sandstone. Remarkably, he spotted the two shiny black teeth, which were the only indication that there was a fossil hidden in the rock. Back in the preparatory lab the rock was later removed with an airscrbe and this beautifully preserved fossil emerged. It has distinctive forwardly placed cheek bones and a very flat profile to its face. The face belonged to a juvenile or subadult Homo rudolfensis, and closely resembles the face of KNM-ER 1470, although it is notably smaller in size. The large size difference indicates that the males and females of this species differed in their body size, or were “sexually dimorphic”. There are several teeth preserved and the shape of the palate of this fossil is similar to the dental arcade of the new mandible KNM-ER 60000.
Homo rudolfensis
KNMER 62000 Age approx. 1.93 Million Years
Digital Capture: Photogrammetry 0 Comments Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Tribe: Hominini Genus: Homo Species: rudolfensis Element: Face with dentition Locality: Area 131, East Turkana Year of Discovery: 2008 Other Fossils to View |