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'''Kenyanthropus platyops''' is a 3.5 to 3.2 million year old (Pliocene) extinct hominin species that was discovered in Lake Turkana, Kenya in 1999 by Justus Erus, who was part of Meave Leakey's team. ^[1] The fossil found features a broad flat face with a toe bone that suggests it probably walked upright. Teeth are intermediate between typical human and typical ape forms. ''Kenyanthropus platyops'', which means "''Flat faced man of Kenya''", is the only described species in the genus. However, if some paleoanthropologists are correct, ''Kenyanthropus'' may not even represent a valid taxon, as the specimen (KNM-WT 40000)^[2] is so horribly distorted by matrix-filled cracks that meaningful morphologic characters are next to impossible to robustly assess. It may simply be a specimen of ''Australopithecus afarensis'', which is known from the same time period and geographic area. Other researches speculate that the flatter face position of the rough cranium is similar to KNM ER 1470 "''Homo rudolfensis''" and suspect it to be closer to the genus Homo, perhaps being a direct ancestor. However the debate has not been concluded and the species remains an enigma.

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References

Footnote

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References

★ Meave G. Leakey, Fred Spoor, Frank H. Brown, Patrick N. Gathogo, Christopher Kiarie, Louise N. Leakey and Ian McDougall (2001). New hominin genus from eastern Africa shows diverse middle Pliocene lineages. ''Nature'', 410:433-40.

Footnote

1. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/wt40000.html
2. 'KNM-WT 40000' is short for: 'K'enya 'N'ational 'M'useum (where it is housed); 'W'est 'T'urkana (where it was found); and '40000' (the museum acquisition number)

See also

★ List of fossil sites ''(with link directory)''

★ List of hominina (hominid) fossils ''(with images)''

External links

★ Kenyanthropus.com

★ The flat faced man of Kenya (Nature)

★ BBC Science article about importance of Kenyanthropus Platyops

★ A picture of Kenyathropus-Platyops at the American Museum of Natural History