Orrorin tugenensis
6-million-year-old hominid discovered in 2000 in Kenya From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Orrorin tugenensis (abbreviated O. tugenensis) is an extinct species of hominid. It is one of the oldest early humans ever to exist.[1] Scientists think it is the second-oldest known hominin ancestor that is possibly related to modern humans.
Individuals of this species were about the size of a modern chimpanzee. They climbed trees, but probably also walked on two feet.[1] (This is called bipedalism.)
O. tugenensis is one of two species in the genus Orrorin. The other is Orrorin praegens[2].
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Discovery
In 1974 the first Orrorin tugenensis fossil was found by Martin Pickford in the Tugen Hills of Kenya.[3] The name tugenensis refers to this location.
Later, additional fossils were found in the same location. They were estimated be between 6.2 and 6.0 million years old, from the late Miocene epoch.[1]
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References
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