Information AboutOrrorin Tugenensis |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ORRORIN TUGENENSIS | |
| early hominids | |
| miocene mammals | |
''Orrorin tugenensis'' is considered as the second oldest possible Hominin ancestor related to modern Human s (other than '' Sahelanthropus Tchadensis '') and is the only species classified in genus '''''Orrorin'''''. The name was given by the discoverers who found ''Orrorin'' Fossil s near the village of Tugen, Kenya . By using Radiometric dating techniques, the volcanic tuffs where the fossils were found date to between 6.1 and 5.8 million years ago, during the Miocene . The fossils found so far come from at least five individuals. They include a Femur , suggesting that ''Orrorin'' walked upright; a thick right Humerus , suggestive of tree-climbing skills but not Brachiation ; and teeth that suggest a diet much like that of modern humans. The full molars and small canines suggest that ''Orrorin'' ate mostly fruit and vegetables, with occasional meat. ''Orrorin'' was about the size of a modern Chimpanzee . The team that found these fossils in 2000 was led by Martin Pickford . Pickford claims that ''Orrorin'' is clearly a hominin; based on this, he dates the split between hominins and other African Great Ape s to at least 7 million years ago. This date is markedly different from those derived using the Molecular Clock approach. If ''Orrorin'' proves to be a direct human ancestor, the assumed by many theories of Human Evolution and, in particular, the origins of Bipedal ism. REFERENCES
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