We’ve talked about many different characteristics of hominin fossils and how they have evolved over time. These include bipedalism, brain size, diet type, and tool use. Let’s put all these together to classify a fossil. In 1984, a group of researchers found a mystery fossil in Kenya that was one of the most complete hominin skeletons ever found. By analyzing the skeleton’s characteristics, we should be able to classify it into one of the hominin groups we discussed earlier. Read the following description of the skeleton these researchers found.
In 1984, a very complete hominin skeleton was discovered in Kenya by a team of researchers. It was found in a layer of siltstone that is estimated as being about 1.5 million years old. The researchers estimate the skeleton is of a boy approximately 8 years old. Given his height at that age (about 5 ft, 3 in.) he may have grown to be nearly 6 feet tall. His hips are narrow, and he has large knees, a curved spine, and relatively long legs. His brain size is 880 cubic centimeters. Other fossils with similar skeletons have been found with stone hand-axes used for scraping meat from animal bones.
