Australopithecus anamensis

Skull MRD  - 3.8 Million Years Ago

Australopithecus anamensis Australopithecus anamensis represents one of the earliest members of the Genus Australopithecus. The MRD cranium is dated to be about 3.8 million years old, representing a critical time period in Australopithecine evolution. This nearly intact skull was discovered by herder Ali Bereino in 2016 in the Afar region of Ethiopia. He brought it to the attention of a team led by paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie who described it in 2019. The skull was given the designation MRD for Miro Dora, the Afar site where it was found. Prior to this discovery only limb bones, upper and lower jaw bones, and cranial fragments, dating between 3.8 to 4.2 mya, were known for this species. The skull revealed a significantly more prognathic face and smaller cranial capacity than A. afarensis. Based on the earlier evidence most researchers believed that A. afarensis descended directly from A. anamensis. The relationship between the two species is currently being reevaluated due to the discovery of the skull.

A few features distinguish A. anamensis from other australopithecines, like A. afarensis: a relatively large upper canine tooth, a small external auditory meatus (ear canal), and a narrow palate. Interestingly, the date of this cranium overlaps with A. afarensis, suggesting both species lived at the same time, challenging the notion that A. afarensis is the descendent of A. anamensis. The addition of this cranium to the hominin family tree further emphasizes the notion that several species of human ancestors lived during the Plio-Pleistocene epoch.

Read more Australian Museum's Australopithecus anamensis