Why is Kenyanthropus platyops controversial?

Why is Kenyanthropus platyops controversial?

The flat-faced skull is considered the holotype for Kenyanthropus platyops; however, there is controversy around its identification. KNM-WT 40000 is considerably distorted, which leads some paleoanthropologists to believe that the skull actually belongs to an Au.

Where was the Kenyanthropus platyops found?

Lake Turkana History of Discovery: Working in the Lake Turkana region of northern Kenya in 19, a research team led by scientist Meave Leakey found a cranium and other fossil remains of a 3.5 million year old early human that has a mixture of features unseen in other early human fossils.

Who named Kenyanthropus platyops?

Justus Erus Kenyanthropus platyops. Kenyanthropus platyops, meaning 'flat face', is a 3.5 to 3.2 million year old hominin fossil that was discovered in Lake Turkana in Kenya in 1999 by Justus Erus, who was part of Meave Leakey's team [Leakey 2001].

What did Kenyanthropus platyops eat?

But scientists have now found that this changed 3.5 million years ago in the species Australopithecus afarensis and Kenyanthropus platyops. Their diet included grasses, sedges, and possibly animals that ate such plants. They also tended to live in the open savannahs of Africa.

Who found Australopithecus afarensis?

Donald Johanson A new species name, Australopithecus afarensis, was therefore created for them in 1978. This species is now represented by several hundred fossils from east Africa. 'Lucy' AL 288-1 – a partial skeleton discovered in 1974 by Donald Johanson in Hadar, Ethiopia.

When did Australopithecus afarensis?

When did Australopithecus afarensis live? According to the fossils recovered to date, Au. afarensis lived between 3.7 and three million years ago. This means the species survived for at least 700,000 years, more than twice as long as our own species, Homo sapiens, has been around.

Did kenyanthropus Platyops use tools?

Until now, some thought that Homo habilis - known as "handy man" - was the earliest of our ancestors in the Homo genus to use tools. ... "There was a hominin called Kenyanthropus platyops, which has been found very close to where the Lomekwi 3 tools are being excavated.

Where the oldest tools were found on Earth?

Lomekwi is near the west bank of Lake Turkana, which is pictured in green on this satellite image. Stony Brook University, US. Lomekwi 3 is the name of an archaeological site in Kenya where ancient stone tools have been discovered dating to 3.3 million years ago, which make them the oldest ever found.

Are Australopithecus carnivores?

Despite the carnivorous preferences of their contemporaneous predators, Au. africanus individuals had a diet similar to modern chimpanzees, which consisted of fruit, plants, nuts, seeds, roots, insects, and eggs.

What did humans eat 3 million years ago?

Prior to about 3.5 million years ago, early humans dined almost exclusively on leaves and fruits from trees, shrubs, and herbs—similar to modern-day gorillas and chimpanzees.

Is Kenyanthropus platyops a close relative to modern humans?

• Very little is known about Kenyanthropus platyops—a flat-faced, small-brained, bipedal species living about 3.5 million years ago in Kenya. Kenyanthropus inhabited Africa at the same time as Lucy’s species Australopithecus afarensis, and could represent a closer branch to modern humans than Lucy’s on the evolutionary tree.

Is “Kenyanthropus platyops IMG 2946” public domain?

• “ Kenyanthropus platyops IMG 2946 ” by Rama is in the public domain. A surprisingly “flat-faced” hominin came to light with Meave Leakey ’s discovery and naming of Kenyanthropus platyops (“flat-faced human from Kenya”) in 1999.

What is the meaning of the genus name Kenyanthropus?

• The genus name Kenyanthropus means ‘man from Kenya’, whereas the species name platyops is derived from the Greek words ‘platus’ meaning ‘flat’ and ‘opsis’ meaning face. Hence the name means ‘the flat-faced man from Kenya’.

Where did platyops platyops live?

• K. platyops is known only from a site in the West Lake Turkana region of Kenya (see Figures 13.2 and 13.3), where Meave Leakey’s team found the crushed skull in 1999. The hypodigm consists of a reconstructed skull, plus two partial maxillae and a temporal bone from other individuals.