Homo naledi
| Homo naledi Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| The 737 known elements of H. naledi | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Hominidae |
| Subfamily: | Homininae |
| Tribe: | Hominini |
| Genus: | Homo |
| Species: | †H. naledi |
| Binomial name | |
| Homo naledi Berger et al., 2015 | |
 | |
| Location of Rising Star Cave in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa | |
Homo naledi is an extinct species of the genus Homo. Its scientific name is abbreviated as H. naledi.
The species may have lived in the Middle Pleistocene epoch around 335,000–236,000 years ago.[1] Its fossils have only been found in a single place: the Rising Star Cave system in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind.[2]
The name naledi is a reference to this cave system: it means 'star' in the Sotho language.[3]
It is unclear exactly where H. naledi fits within the genus Homo.[4]
Description
[change | change source]Even though it is in the Homo genus, H. naledi has some similarities with the Australopithecus genus. It also shares some similarities with archaic (early) human species. For example, its brain was small compared to modern humans.[5] In addition, its teeth are more similar to australopithecines than to other members of the genus Homo.[6]
On average, H. naledi was about 1.46 meters (4.8 feet) tall and weighed between 39-55 kg (86-121 pounds).[2] On average, males were 20% bigger than females.[7]
H. naledi was bipedal: it walked upright, on two feet.[3] Still, it was better adapted to climbing and tree-dwelling than it was to running long distances (like modern humans are).[8]
H. naledi physically could have created stone tools, based on analysis of fossil wrists and hands.[9] However, we will never know if H. naledi had the cognitive ability to make these tools.[10]
Diet
[change | change source]Based on analysis of fossil teeth, H. naledi was an omnivore that ate meat, plants, and probably nuts and tubers.[2]
Its teeth are different than the teeth of other species of Homo that were alive around the same time.[4]
Discovery
[change | change source]In the Rising Star Cave, cavers were the first to find H. naledi specimens. The specimens were deep within the cave and were so difficult to reach that the initial team sent to search for them was made up only of small-bodied women.[2]
By 2015, scientists had found 1,569 specimens in the cave system, representing at least 69 different people.[11] This is the largest collection of a single species of hominin that paleoanthropologists have ever found in Africa.[4]
Very few animal fossils or tools have been found near H. naledi fossils. This makes it difficult for paleoanthropologists to learn anything about how this species lived.[4]
Gallery
[change | change source]- 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
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ Dirks, Paul HGM; Roberts, Eric M; Hilbert-Wolf, Hannah; Kramers, Jan D; Hawks, John; Dosseto, Anthony; Duval, Mathieu; Elliott, Marina; Evans, Mary (2017). "The age of Homo naledi and associated sediments in the Rising Star Cave, South Africa". eLife. 6 e24231. Bibcode:2017eLife...624231D. doi:10.7554/eLife.24231. ISSN 2050-084X. PMC 5423772. PMID 28483040.
- 1 2 3 4 "Homo naledi, your recently discovered human relative | Natural History Museum". www.nhm.ac.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
- 1 2 Berger, L.R.; et al. (2015). "Homo naledi, a new species of the genus Homo from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa". eLife. 4 e09560. doi:10.7554/eLife.09560. PMC 4559886. PMID 26354291.
- 1 2 3 4 "Homo naledi". The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
- ↑ Smith, Kiona N. (2018-05-14). "Homo naledi's brain: Like ours, but smaller". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- ↑ Berthaume, M. A.; Delezene, L. K.; Kupczik, K. (2018). "Dental topography and the diet of Homo naledi" (PDF). Journal of Human Evolution. 118: 14–26. Bibcode:2018JHumE.118...14B. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.006. PMID 29606200.
- ↑ Garvin, H. M.; Elliot, M. C.; Delezene, L. K. (2017). "Body size, brain size, and sexual dimorphism in Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber". Journal of Human Evolution. 111: 119–138. Bibcode:2017JHumE.111..119G. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.06.010. PMID 28874266.
- ↑ "New Human Ancestor Walked Like Us, Climbed Like an Ape". Animals. 2015-10-06. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
- ↑ Berger, L.R.; Hawks, J.D.; Dirks, P.H.G.M.; Elliott, M.; Roberts, E.M. (2017). "Homo naledi and Pleistocene hominin evolution in subequatorial Africa". eLife. 6 e24234. doi:10.7554/eLife.24234. PMC 5423770. PMID 28483041.
- ↑ Garvin, H. M.; Elliot, M. C.; Delezene, L. K. (2017). "Body size, brain size, and sexual dimorphism in Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber". Journal of Human Evolution. 111: 119–138. Bibcode:2017JHumE.111..119G. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.06.010. PMID 28874266.
- ↑ Berger, Lee R; Hawks, John; de Ruiter, Darryl J; Churchill, Steven E; Schmid, Peter; Delezene, Lucas K; Kivell, Tracy L; Garvin, Heather M; Williams, Scott A (2015-09-10). Krause, Johannes; Conard, Nicholas J (eds.). "Homo naledi, a new species of the genus Homo from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa". eLife. 4 e09560. Bibcode:2015eLife...409560B. doi:10.7554/eLife.09560. ISSN 2050-084X. PMC 4559886. PMID 26354291.