Catalog no. | Peninj 1 |
---|---|
Common name | Peninj Mandible |
Species | Australopithecus boisei |
Age | 1.5 mya |
Place discovered | Peninj, Tanzania |
Date discovered | 1964 |
Discovered by | Kamoya Kimeu, Richard Leakey |
The Peninj Mandible(Peninj 1), also called Natron mandible, [1] is the fossilized lower jaw and teeth of an australopithecine specimen, likely that of Paranthropus boisei [2] or a similar population. [3] It was discovered in West Lake Natron, [4] in Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region of Tanzania by Kamoya Kimeu, [5] [6] Glynn Isaac, and Richard Leakey in 1964. [7]
This mandible (jaw) is estimated to be 1.5 million years old [2] and it is characterized as having a robust build with large molars and reduced incisors. [8] The specimen is believed to be an adult male. [9]
Peninj 1 was found in 1964 at a site in Tanzania called Peninj, west of Lake Natron and about 80 km (50 miles) from Olduvai Gorge, a major paleoanthropological site. [10] On the 11th of January, fossil hunter Kamoya Kimeu was crossing the western side of Lake Natron as part of a team led by Richard Leakey when he discovered the mandible buried in ancient volcanic ash in situ. [11] Later that year, Louis Leakey, his wife Mary Leakey and their son Richard, announced the discovery of the Peninj Mandible in an article published in Nature. [12]
Together with the OH 5 cranium, the nearly complete mandible of Peninj 1 showed that this East African species was even more robust than other hominin specimens found in southern Africa. [13]
The mandible was discovered by Kamoya Kimeu in 1964, during an expedition conducted by Richard Leakey and Glynn Isaac.
Catalog no. | Peninj 1 |
---|---|
Common name | Peninj Mandible |
Species | Australopithecus boisei |
Age | 1.5 mya |
Place discovered | Peninj, Tanzania |
Date discovered | 1964 |
Discovered by | Kamoya Kimeu, Richard Leakey |
The Peninj Mandible(Peninj 1), also called Natron mandible, [1] is the fossilized lower jaw and teeth of an australopithecine specimen, likely that of Paranthropus boisei [2] or a similar population. [3] It was discovered in West Lake Natron, [4] in Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region of Tanzania by Kamoya Kimeu, [5] [6] Glynn Isaac, and Richard Leakey in 1964. [7]
This mandible (jaw) is estimated to be 1.5 million years old [2] and it is characterized as having a robust build with large molars and reduced incisors. [8] The specimen is believed to be an adult male. [9]
Peninj 1 was found in 1964 at a site in Tanzania called Peninj, west of Lake Natron and about 80 km (50 miles) from Olduvai Gorge, a major paleoanthropological site. [10] On the 11th of January, fossil hunter Kamoya Kimeu was crossing the western side of Lake Natron as part of a team led by Richard Leakey when he discovered the mandible buried in ancient volcanic ash in situ. [11] Later that year, Louis Leakey, his wife Mary Leakey and their son Richard, announced the discovery of the Peninj Mandible in an article published in Nature. [12]
Together with the OH 5 cranium, the nearly complete mandible of Peninj 1 showed that this East African species was even more robust than other hominin specimens found in southern Africa. [13]
The mandible was discovered by Kamoya Kimeu in 1964, during an expedition conducted by Richard Leakey and Glynn Isaac.