A new discovery of a fossil cranium and two jawbones—both 2 million years old—lead researchers to confirm that Homo rudolfensis is a distinct species. The first Homo rudolfensis skull was found in northern Kenya in 1972. The newly discovered fossil face is flat, as in the original skull. The partial jawbones look similar to the skull found in 1972 but enlarge the known variation in the skull and teeth of Homo rudolfensis. Along with fossils of Homo habilis and Homo erectus, these new specimens support the existence of multiple species of Homo in eastern Africa between about 2.0 and 1.7 million years ago.

Image Credit: Chip Clark, Smithsonian Institution

Image Credit: Karen Carr Studio