Australopithecus sediba
Two skeletons from a South African cave mix australopith and Homo traits in an unexpected way.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 230 thousand years
- Known to
- ± 30 thousand years
- Era
- Early Pleistocene, Quaternary
Australopithecus sediba was found at Malapa in 2008 — the first specimen spotted by the nine-year-old son of the lead researcher. Dated to about 1.98 million years ago, it combines a small australopith brain and long arms with a human-like pelvis, hand and teeth. Its hand has both a long thumb suited to precision grip and curved fingers for climbing. Whether it lies on the line to Homo or is a late side branch is contested, and its date overlaps with fossils already assigned to Homo.