Homo naledi
E685550
Homo naledi is an extinct species of small-brained hominin from South Africa, notable for its mix of primitive and modern anatomical features and its possible deliberate mortuary behavior.
Statements (74)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | extinct hominin species ⓘ |
| authority | Berger et al. 2015 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| binomialName | Homo naledi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| bodyMass | approximately 40–55 kilograms ⓘ |
| brainSize | approximately 465–610 cubic centimeters ⓘ |
| browRidge | present and pronounced ⓘ |
| class | Mammalia ⓘ |
| climbingAdaptations | present in upper limbs ⓘ |
| climbingBehaviorImplication | retained arboreal capabilities alongside bipedalism ⓘ |
| coexistedWith |
early Homo sapiens in Africa
ⓘ
other Middle Pleistocene Homo lineages ⓘ |
| controversialAspect |
interpretation of deliberate burial or body disposal
ⓘ
placement within genus Homo and phylogenetic position ⓘ |
| countryOfDiscovery | South Africa NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| cranialCapacityRelativeToModernHumans | about one-third to one-half of Homo sapiens ⓘ |
| culturalAttribution | Middle Pleistocene African hominin ⓘ |
| dateOfFirstDescription | 2015 ⓘ |
| datingMethodsUsed |
optically stimulated luminescence
ⓘ
paleomagnetic analysis ⓘ uranium-thorium dating ⓘ |
| dentition |
relatively small teeth
ⓘ
simple cusp patterns ⓘ |
| describedIn | eLife journal NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| discoveredBy |
Lee R. Berger
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Rising Star Expedition team NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| estimatedAgeRange | about 335,000 to 236,000 years ago ⓘ |
| evidenceOfCarnivoreActivityOnBones | minimal ⓘ |
| evidenceOfWaterTransportOfBones | lacking ⓘ |
| evolutionarySignificance |
demonstrates mosaic evolution in genus Homo
ⓘ
shows that small-brained hominins persisted into Late Middle Pleistocene ⓘ |
| faceMorphology |
reduced prognathism compared to earlier hominins
ⓘ
relatively small, gracile face ⓘ |
| family | Hominidae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| footMorphology |
arched foot suitable for bipedal walking
ⓘ
largely human-like foot ⓘ |
| fossilPreservation | generally well-preserved skeletal material ⓘ |
| genus | Homo NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geologicalAge | Late Middle Pleistocene NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geologicalFormation | Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| handFunctionImplication | capable of precise manipulation ⓘ |
| handMorphology |
curved fingers adapted for climbing
ⓘ
human-like wrist and thumb ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| languageOfSpecificEpithetMeaning | Sesotho NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locomotion | habitual bipedalism ⓘ |
| meaningOfEpithet | “naledi” means “star” ⓘ |
| minimumNumberOfIndividuals | at least 15 individuals ⓘ |
| nameRefersTo | Rising Star Cave system NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
combination of primitive and derived anatomical traits
ⓘ
large assemblage of fossil individuals in a single cave system ⓘ small brain size with relatively modern postcranial skeleton ⓘ |
| numberOfSpecimensRecovered | over 1500 fossil elements ⓘ |
| order | Primates ⓘ |
| pelvisMorphology | more primitive and flared, similar to australopiths ⓘ |
| phylogeneticPosition | uncertain within Homo clade ⓘ |
| phylum | Chordata ⓘ |
| possibleBehavior |
deliberate deposition of dead in cave chambers
ⓘ
mortuary-like behavior ⓘ |
| publicationYearOfDating | 2017 for direct dating results ⓘ |
| region | Gauteng Province, South Africa NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| researchLedBy |
National Geographic Society–funded team
ⓘ
University of the Witwatersrand NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| ribcageMorphology | more conical, similar to australopiths ⓘ |
| sexualDimorphism | moderate ⓘ |
| shoulderMorphology | more ape-like, oriented for climbing ⓘ |
| siteOfDiscovery |
Dinaledi Chamber
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Lesedi Chamber NERFINISHED ⓘ Rising Star Cave system NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| stature | approximately 1.45 meters ⓘ |
| subfamily | Homininae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| taxonRank | species ⓘ |
| tribe | Hominini NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| typeLocality | Dinaledi Chamber, Rising Star Cave NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| UNESCOWorldHeritageContext | Cradle of Humankind NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.