Homo rudolfensis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Homo rudolfensis Temporal range: Pliocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Hominidae
Genus:	Homo
Species:	H. rudolfensis
Binomial name
†Homo rudolfensis Alexeev, 1986

Homo rudolfensis is an ancient human species that lived about 1.9 million years ago. It's one of the earliest members of the Homo group, which includes modern humans. Scientists study its fossils to learn more about how early humans evolved and spread across the world.

Discovering Homo Rudolfensis

This important fossil was found in 1972 by a team led by famous anthropologists Richard Leakey and Meave Leakey. A team member named Bernard Ngeneo made the discovery. They found the fossil at a place called Koobi Fora in Kenya, near a lake that was once called Lake Rudolf (now known as Lake Turkana).

The Famous Skull 1470

The most well-known fossil of Homo rudolfensis is a skull called Skull 1470 (also known as KNM ER 1470). This skull is estimated to be about 1.9 million years old. In 1986, a scientist named V. P. Alexeev gave this species its scientific name, Homo rudolfensis, after the lake where it was found.

UR 501 (original specimen), the eldest fossil of Genus Homo

What Made Homo Rudolfensis Special?

Scientists believe Homo rudolfensis had a larger braincase compared to some other early human species that lived around the same time. This suggests it might have had a bigger brain. It also had a flatter face and wider cheekbones. These features help scientists understand the differences between early human species and how they might be related to us.

Images for kids

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  Reconstruction of H. rudolfensis by Mauricio Antón

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  KNM-ER 1802

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  KNM-ER 1470 H. rudolfensis (left) vs KNM-ER 1813 H. habilis (right)

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  UR 501, the oldest H. rudolfensis specimen

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  Reconstruction of KNM-ER 1470 skull and jaw

See also

In Spanish: Homo rudolfensis para niños