Hominid Species Time Line

Page 20

 Homo rudolfensis 2.3 to 1.9 million years ago

The reconstructed skull pictured above is the famous KNM-ER 1470 skull found by Richard Leakey in 1972 on the shores of Lake Turkana.  It represents the oldest, fairly complete human skull yet discovered.  Leakey originally classified it as Homo habilis, but subsequent study and careful re-dating of the find led to its re-classification as H. rudolfensis in 1986. 

The arched dome of the skull looks human-like, while the small brain capacity, slightly more than 750 cc’s, and the relatively large teeth resemble australopithecine characteristics.  The mix of characteristics makes this individual a good candidate for a transitional species between the australopithecines and the genus Homo.  The brain size is so small, however, that its classification in the genus Homo is still contested.