Homo naledi
Homo naledi is a species of archaic human found in the Rising Star Cave, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. The species possibly lived in the Middle Pleistocene 335,000–236,000 years ago.[1] The initial discovery comprises 1,550 specimens, representing 737 different elements, and at least 15 different people.[2] Despite this exceptionally high number of specimens, their ranking with the Homo genus remains unclear.
| Homo naledi | |
|---|---|
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| The 737 known elements of H. naledi | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Hominidae |
| Genus: | Homo |
| Species: | †H. naledi
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| Binomial name | |
| Homo naledi Berger et al., 2015
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| Location of Rising Star Cave in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa | |
Even though it is in the Homo genus, they have some similarities with the Australopithecus genus and the first human species. For example, they have a small brain compared to modern humans.[3] They were more adapted to climbing and tree-dwelling (aboreal) than running through long distances.[4]
Gallery
- Skeletal elements
Top skull digital reconstruction
Jaws of LES1 (left) and DH1 (right)
Upper jawbone of LES1 (left) and DH1 (right)
A lower jawbone
A clavicle
A humerus
An ulna
Metacarpals from different specimens
10th thoracic vertebra
11th thoracic vertebra
A femur
A tibia
Ankle bones from different specimens
1) adult right foot, 2) juvenile left, 3 and 4) adult left, 5) juvenile right
Homo Naledi Media
A map of the Rising Star Cave, marking the Dinaledi Chamber in yellow and the Lesedi Chamber in red
LES1 cranium.*Clockwise from upper left: three-quarter, frontal, superior and left lateral views. Fragments of the right temporal, the parietal and the occipital have also been recovered (not pictured), but without conjoins to the reconstructed vault or face. Scale bar = 5 cm.
A skeletal reconstruction of the juvenile DH7 – Scale 10 cm (4 in)
An illustration of the Dinaledi Chamber, in the Rising Star Cave
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References
- ↑ Dirks, Paul HGM. The age of Homo naledi and associated sediments in the Rising Star Cave, South Africa. eLife 6 (2017). doi:10.7554/eLife.24231.
- ↑ Berger, Lee R. Homo naledi, a new species of the genus Homo from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa. eLife 4 (2015-09-10). p. e09560. doi:10.7554/eLife.09560.
- ↑ Smith, Kiona N.. Homo naledi's brain: Like ours, but smaller (in en-us). Ars Technica (2018-05-14). Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- ↑ New Human Ancestor Walked Like Us, Climbed Like an Ape (in en). Animals (2015-10-06). Retrieved 2021-04-08.