Early Hominins and Their Immediate Ancestors
 

  SPECIES TIME RANGE
 (millions of years ago)  
  ape-hominin  
  transitional
  species
  Sahelanthropus tchadensis 7 - 6 ?
  Orrorin tugenensis 6.0
  Ardipithecus Kadabba 5.8-5.2
  Ardipithecus ramidus 4.4

  early
  hominins

gracile
species
 Australopithecus anamensis 4.2 - 3.9
 Australopithecus afarensis 3.7 - 3.0
 Kenyanthropus platyops 3.5 - 3.2
 Australopithecus africanus 3.3 - 2.5 ?
 Australopithecus garhi 2.5
 Australopithecus sediba 1.977
robust
species
 Paranthropus aethiopicus  2.5
 Paranthropus robustus 2.0 - 1.4 ?
 Paranthropus boisei 2.4 - 1.4 ?

The species listed above in red are controversial because of relatively limited discoveries
of their fossils and disagreement as to their classification.  Those listed in black have
been found at many sites and now are widely accepted.  Some researchers classify the
paranthropoids as robust australopithecines.

 

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Copyright © 2003-2012 by Dennis O'Neil. All rights reserved.