Specimen List

australopithecus anamensis

KNM-KP 29283

  • Geologic Age:

    4.17 Ma - 4.12 Ma

  • Discovery Date:

    1997

  • Discovered By:

    W. Mangao

  • Discovery Location:

    Kanapoi, Kenya

  • Specimen Age:

    Adult

  • Sex:

    Undetermined

  • Original Publication:

    Ward CV et al., 2001

The maxilla identified as KNM-KP 29283 was recovered from fluvial deposits at Kanapoi that date between 4.17 and 4.07 Ma. Nearly complete, the palate and cheek teeth were discovered on the surface in 1997, and three of its associated incisors (not pictured) were recovered in situ. This specimen, along with many others recovered in 1995-1997, greatly expanded the number of known Australopithecus anamensis fossils, and helped to establish the accepted antiquity of the species.


KNM-KP 29281

  • Geologic Age:

    4.1 Ma

  • Discovery Date:

    10 Sep 1994

  • Discovered By:

    Peter Nzube

  • Discovery Location:

    Kanapoi, Kenya

  • Sex:

    Undetermined

  • Estimated Weight:

    47 - 55 kg

  • Original Publication:

    Leakey et. al. 2002

The type specimen for Australopithecus anamensis, KNM-KP 29281, is an adult mandible dated to about 4.1 Ma. The combination of both primitive and derived features, such as those seen in this specimen, suggests that Au. anamensis may ancestral to Au. afarensis, and perhaps a direct descendant of Ardipithecus ramidus1.