Sites: Toros-Menalla, a desert area in Chad
Age: 7 to ~6 million years ago (Miocene) Type specimen: TM 266-01-060-1 (Toumaï), a nearly complete cranium found by Ahounta Djimdoumalbaye on 19 July 2001. Toumaï consists of on the right—I2 alveolus, C (distal part), P3–P4 roots, fragmentary M1 and M2, M3; and on the left—I2 alveolus, C–P4 roots and fragmentary M1–M3. Specimens:
Cranial capacity: 320–380 cm3 Cranial architecture: Only a crushed cranium and mandible
Dentition: Small incisor-like canine that is more similar to hominids than to chimpanzees. Postcranial: None Environment: Woodland habitat Length and weight: No postcranials found Tools: Ancestor: Unknown Descendants: Unknown General: Discovered in 2002 by Mahamat Adoum and Ahounta Djimdoumalbaye (who found the skull on July 19, 2001), Fanone Gongdibe, and Alain Beauvilain. It has been suggested that this is the common ancestor between the human and chimpanzee lineages. To date, Toumaï is the oldest hominid fossil to be discovered and is the first hominid to be found in Central Africa. This changes the original premise which implies that hominids originated in East Africa. Anteriorly placed foramen magnum provides the possibility of bipedal locomotion; however, the lack of postcranial remains prevents a definite locomotor classification. References:
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The holotype has been dubbed Toumaï, a Goran-language word meaning hope of life. The Goran language is spoken in the Djurab Desert and the name is given to babies born just before the dry season.
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