Kenyanthropus
A flat-faced hominin from the Middle Pliocene of Kenya.
Kenyanthropus, meaning "man from Kenya," is a genus of extinct hominin known from fossils found at the Lomekwi site near Lake Turkana in Kenya. These remains date to between 3.5 and 3.2 million years ago, during the Middle Pliocene. The genus includes one named species, *K. platyops*, though some researchers suggest it may also encompass the two-million-year-old *Homo rudolfensis*, which would then be called *K. rudolfensis*. Before the genus was formally described in 2001, *Australopithecus afarensis* was widely considered the only australopithecine present in the Middle Pliocene. The discovery of *Kenyanthropus* showed that hominin diversity during this period was greater than previously recognized.
The most distinctive features of *Kenyanthropus* are its unusually flat face and small teeth for such an early hominin. In these traits, it falls at the extremes or even outside the range of variation seen in australopithecines. It is possible that multiple australopithecine species lived at the same time by foraging for different foods—a concept known as niche partitioning—which may explain why their chewing-related anatomy differs.
The Lomekwi site also yielded the oldest known stone tool industry, called the Lomekwian. These tools were made by simple flaking, using a core struck against an anvil or hammerstone. The knappers used volcanic rocks collected no more than 100 meters (330 feet) from the site. It is unclear whether *Kenyanthropus* made these tools, as multiple hominin species may have been present at the site. The environment at the time was a lakeside or floodplain with both forests and grasslands.
**Taxonomy**
**Discovery**
In August 1998, field technician Blasto Onyango found a partial left upper jaw (specimen KNM-WT 38350) at the Lomekwi site, which was being excavated under the direction of prominent paleoanthropologists Louise and Meave Leakey. The following August, research assistant Justus Erus discovered a skull (KNM-WT 40000) with an unusually flat face, characteristic of an australopithecine. During the 1998–1999 field season, 34 more hominin skull and tooth specimens were uncovered, and the research team assigned all Lomekwi hominin fossils to *Kenyanthropus platyops*.
**Age**
The fossils were found near the Nabetili tributary of the Lomekwi River, in a mudstone layer of the Nachukui Formation.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Kenyanthropus
- Type Species
- Kenyanthropus platyops
- Type Species Authority
- Leakey et al., 2001
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In August 1998, field technician Blasto Onyango discovered a hominin partial left maxilla (upper jaw), specimen KNM-WT 38350, on the Kenyan Lomekwi dig site by Lake Turkana, overseen by prominent paleoanthropologists Louise and Meave Leakey. In August 1999 at the Lomekwi site, research assistant Justus Erus discovered an uncharacteristically flat-faced australopithecine skull, specimen KNM-WT 40000. The 1998–1999 field season subsequently uncovered 34 more craniodental hominin specimens, and the research team assigned all Lomekwi hominin fossils (including the 34 additional specimens) to *Kenyanthropus platyops*.
The specimens were recovered near the Nabetili tributary of the Lomekwi river
Reader's Guide
Kenyanthropus is significant because it challenges the long-held view that Australopithecus afarensis was the only australopithecine to exist during the Middle Pliocene. Its discovery in 2001 provided evidence of greater hominin diversity in that period. The genus is most recognisable by an unusually flat face and small teeth for such an early hominin, with values on the extremes or beyond the range of variation for australopithecines. The Lomekwi site also yielded the earliest stone tool industry, the Lomekwian, characterised by the rudimentary production of simple flakes by pounding a core against an anvil or with a hammerstone. It may have been manufactured by Kenyanthropus, but it is unclear if multiple species were present at the site or not. The classification of Kenyanthropus has been debated; some researchers argue the skull is too distorted for accurate metrics, while others maintain its distinctness. The genus may also include the two-million-year-old Homo rudolfensis, or K. rudolfensis. Kenyanthropus seems to have lived on a lakeside or floodplain environment featuring forests and grasslands.
Did You Know?
- The species name platyops means 'flat face' in Ancient Greek.
- The Lomekwi site yielded the earliest known stone tool industry, the Lomekwian.
- KNM-WT 40000 was splintered into over 1,100 pieces, often less than 1 cm across.
- Kenyanthropus may include the two-million-year-old Homo rudolfensis as K. rudolfensis.
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