Australopithecus garhi
Encyclopedia
Australopithecus garhi is a gracile australopithecine species whose fossils were discovered in 1996 by a research team led by Ethiopian
paleontologist Berhane Asfaw
and Tim White
, an American paleontologist. The hominin remains are believed to be a human
ancestor species and the final missing link
between the Australopithecus
genus and the human genus, Homo
. Tim White was the scientist to find the first of the key A. garhi fossils in 1996 in the Bouri Formation
, located in the Middle Awash
of Ethiopia
's Afar Depression
. The species was confirmed and established as A. garhi on November 20, 1997 by the Ethiopian paleoanthropologist
Yohannes Haile-Selassie
. The species epithet "garhi" means "surprise" in the local Afar language.
and Australopithecus africanus
. An example of the distinction can be seen when comparing the Hadar
maxilla (A. afarensis) to the Bouri specimen of A. garhi. The cranial capacity of A. garhi measures 450cc, the same size as other australopithecines. The mandible classified as Asfaw et al. has a morphology generally believed to be compatible with the same species, yet it is possible that another hominin species may have been found within the same deposits. Studies made on the premolars and molar teeth have a few similarities with those of Paranthropus boisei
since they are larger than any other gracile form of australopithecine. It has been suggested that if A. garhi is ancestral to Homo (ie. Homo habilis
) the maxillary morphology would have undergone a rapid evolutionary change in roughly 200,000 and 300,000 years.
technology were discovered with the A. garhi fossils, dating back roughly 2.5 and 2.6 million years old. The tools are suggested to be older than those acquired by Homo habilis, which is thought to be a possible direct ancestor of more modern hominins. For a long time anthropologists assumed that only members of early genus Homo had the ability to produce sophisticated tools. However, the crude ancient tools lack several techniques that are generally seen in later forms Olduwanhhh and Acheulean
such as strong rock-outcroppings. In another site in Bouri, Ethiopia, roughly 3,000 stone artifacts had been found to be an estimated 2.5 million years old in age.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
paleontologist Berhane Asfaw
Berhane Asfaw
Berhane Asfaw is an Ethiopian paleontologist of Rift Valley Research Service, who co-discovered human skeletal remains at Herto Bouri, Ethiopia that revealed a transition into modern humans . The specimen was called Homo sapiens idaltu .He graduated from Addis Ababa University in 1980.-References:...
and Tim White
Tim White (anthropologist)
Tim D. White is an American Paleoanthropologist and Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is most famous for his work on Lucy as Australopithecus afarensis with discoverer Donald Johanson.-Career:White was born in Los Angeles County, California...
, an American paleontologist. The hominin remains are believed to be a human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
ancestor species and the final missing link
Missing Link
Missing link is a nonscientific term for any transitional fossil, especially one connected with human evolution; see Transitional fossil - Missing links and List of transitonal fossils - Human evolution.Missing Link may refer to:...
between the Australopithecus
Australopithecus
Australopithecus is a genus of hominids that is now extinct. From the evidence gathered by palaeontologists and archaeologists, it appears that the Australopithecus genus evolved in eastern Africa around 4 million years ago before spreading throughout the continent and eventually becoming extinct...
genus and the human genus, Homo
Homo (genus)
Homo is the genus that includes modern humans and species closely related to them. The genus is estimated to be about 2.3 to 2.4 million years old, evolving from australopithecine ancestors with the appearance of Homo habilis....
. Tim White was the scientist to find the first of the key A. garhi fossils in 1996 in the Bouri Formation
Bouri Formation
The Bouri Formation is an area in the Middle Awash Valley, in Ethiopia that has provided a rich source of Australopithecines and Homo fossils, artifacts and bones of large mammal with cut marks from butchery...
, located in the Middle Awash
Middle Awash
The Middle Awash is an archaeological site along the Awash River in Ethiopia's Afar Depression. A number of Pleistocene and late Miocene hominid remains have been found at the site, along with some of the oldest known Olduwan stone artifacts and patches of fire-baked clay, disputed evidence of the...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
's Afar Depression
Afar Depression
The Afar Triangle is a geological depression that is caused by the Afar Triple Junction which is part of the Great Rift Valley. It overlaps Eritrea, Djibouti and the entire Afar Region of Ethiopia. The Afar Triangle includes the Danakil Depression and the lowest point in Africa, Lake Asal...
. The species was confirmed and established as A. garhi on November 20, 1997 by the Ethiopian paleoanthropologist
Paleoanthropology
Paleoanthropology, which combines the disciplines of paleontology and physical anthropology, is the study of ancient humans as found in fossil hominid evidence such as petrifacted bones and footprints.-19th century:...
Yohannes Haile-Selassie
Yohannes Haile-Selassie
Dr. Yohannes Haile-Selassie is an Ethiopian paleoanthropologist. An authority on pre-Homo sapiens hominids, he particularly focuses his attention on the Great Rift Valley and Middle Awash Valleys of East Africa....
. The species epithet "garhi" means "surprise" in the local Afar language.
Morphology and interpretations
The traits of A. garhi fossils such as BOU-VP-12/130 are somewhat distinctive from traits typically seen in Australopithecus afarensisAustralopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct hominid that lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago. A. afarensis was slenderly built, like the younger Australopithecus africanus. It is thought that A...
and Australopithecus africanus
Australopithecus africanus
Australopithecus africanus was an early hominid, an australopithecine, who lived between 2–3 million years ago in the Pliocene. In common with the older Australopithecus afarensis, A. africanus was slenderly built, or gracile, and was thought to have been a direct ancestor of modern humans. Fossil...
. An example of the distinction can be seen when comparing the Hadar
Hadar, Ethiopia
Hadar is a village in Ethiopia, on the southern edge of the Afar Triangle with a latitude and longitude of approximately . The village is known for the nearby archaeological site....
maxilla (A. afarensis) to the Bouri specimen of A. garhi. The cranial capacity of A. garhi measures 450cc, the same size as other australopithecines. The mandible classified as Asfaw et al. has a morphology generally believed to be compatible with the same species, yet it is possible that another hominin species may have been found within the same deposits. Studies made on the premolars and molar teeth have a few similarities with those of Paranthropus boisei
Paranthropus boisei
Paranthropus boisei was an early hominin and described as the largest of the Paranthropus species...
since they are larger than any other gracile form of australopithecine. It has been suggested that if A. garhi is ancestral to Homo (ie. Homo habilis
Homo habilis
Homo habilis is a species of the genus Homo, which lived from approximately at the beginning of the Pleistocene period. The discovery and description of this species is credited to both Mary and Louis Leakey, who found fossils in Tanzania, East Africa, between 1962 and 1964. Homo habilis Homo...
) the maxillary morphology would have undergone a rapid evolutionary change in roughly 200,000 and 300,000 years.
Earliest stone tools
Few primitive shaped stone tool artifacts closely resembling OlduwanOlduwan
The Oldowan, often spelled Olduwan or Oldawan, is the archaeological term used to refer to the stone tool industry that was used by Hominines during the Lower Paleolithic period...
technology were discovered with the A. garhi fossils, dating back roughly 2.5 and 2.6 million years old. The tools are suggested to be older than those acquired by Homo habilis, which is thought to be a possible direct ancestor of more modern hominins. For a long time anthropologists assumed that only members of early genus Homo had the ability to produce sophisticated tools. However, the crude ancient tools lack several techniques that are generally seen in later forms Olduwanhhh and Acheulean
Acheulean
Acheulean is the name given to an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture associated with early humans during the Lower Palaeolithic era across Africa and much of West Asia, South Asia and Europe. Acheulean tools are typically found with Homo erectus remains...
such as strong rock-outcroppings. In another site in Bouri, Ethiopia, roughly 3,000 stone artifacts had been found to be an estimated 2.5 million years old in age.
See also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of hominina (hominid) fossils (with images)