Hominin Species
46 species and taxa spanning 10+ million years of evolution
Nakalipithecus nakayamai
A large-bodied Late Miocene ape known from a partial mandible and isolated teeth. The thick enamel and dental morphology show similarities to both ear...
Samburupithecus kiptalami
Known from a single maxillary fragment with teeth from the Late Miocene of Kenya. It is one of very few African ape fossils from the 9-10 MYA period a...
Ouranopithecus macedoniensis
A Late Miocene hominoid from Greece known from multiple cranial and dental specimens. It possessed thick enamel, reduced canines, and some facial feat...
Chororapithecus abyssinicus
Known from nine isolated teeth found in the Chorora Formation of Ethiopia. Dental morphology, particularly the shearing crests on molars, suggests a f...
Ouranopithecus turkae
A Late Miocene ape from central Turkey, geographically positioned between European and African ape populations. Known from limited dental material tha...
Graecopithecus freybergi
A controversial Late Miocene hominoid known primarily from a mandible found near Athens and a premolar from Bulgaria. A 2017 study claimed it could be...
Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Potentially the oldest known hominin, represented by a nearly complete cranium nicknamed "Toumai." The anteriorly positioned foramen magnum suggests p...
Orrorin tugenensis
Known from fragmentary remains including femur pieces, teeth, and finger bones from the Lukeino Formation in Kenya. The femoral morphology, particular...
Ardipithecus kadabba
The earlier and earlier and more basal species of Ardipithecus, known from teeth, a partial mandible, hand bones, foot bones, and a clavicle. A toe bo...
Ardipithecus ramidus
Known from over 100 specimens including the partial skeleton "Ardi" (ARA-VP-6/500). Displays a mosaic of ape-like features (grasping big toe, long arm...
Australopithecus anamensis
The earliest definite australopith, known from multiple sites in Kenya and Ethiopia. Combining ancestral (small brain, long jaw) and derived (thick en...
Australopithecus afarensis
The best-known early hominin, represented by hundreds of specimens including the famous partial skeleton "Lucy" and the Laetoli footprints. Fully bipe...
Australopithecus prometheus
A debated australopith species based primarily on the remarkably complete skeleton StW 573 ("Little Foot"), discovered by Ronald Clarke beginning in 1...
Australopithecus bahrelghazali
Known from a mandible fragment with teeth found in Chad, far west of the East African Rift Valley. Sometimes synonymized with Au. afarensis, its main ...
Australopithecus deyiremeda
A Middle Pliocene hominin that coexisted with Au. afarensis. Distinguished by its more robust mandible and smaller teeth. Associated with the Burtele ...
Kenyanthropus platyops
A Middle Pliocene hominin with a distinctively flat face and small molars, contrasting with the prognathic Au. afarensis. Some researchers consider th...
Australopithecus africanus
The first hominin species ever recognized, described by Raymond Dart in 1925 from the Taung Child skull. Known from numerous specimens from South Afri...
Homo habilis
The first species assigned to genus Homo, associated with Oldowan stone tools. Brain size represents a significant increase over australopiths, though...
Paranthropus aethiopicus
The earliest known robust australopith, best represented by the "Black Skull" (KNM-WT 17000) from West Turkana, Kenya. Possessed a massive sagittal cr...
Australopithecus garhi
Known from a cranium and postcranial elements from the Bouri Formation of Ethiopia. Found in association with animal bones bearing stone tool cut mark...
Paranthropus boisei
The "hyper-robust" australopith, possessing the largest molars and premolars of any hominin and massive jaw muscles anchored by a sagittal crest. Desp...
Australopithecus sediba
Known from two remarkably complete skeletons (MH1 juvenile and MH2 adult female) from Malapa Cave, South Africa. Displays a mosaic of Australopithecus...
Paranthropus robustus
The South African robust australopith, known from multiple cave sites including Swartkrans and Kromdraai. Less extreme cranial specializations than P....
Homo rudolfensis
Known primarily from the famous KNM-ER 1470 skull with its large, flat face and relatively large brain. Classified alternatively as Homo rudolfensis, ...
Homo gautengensis
Proposed in 2010 based on fossils from the Sterkfontein cave system in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The validity of this species is widely question...
Homo ergaster
Often considered the African variant of Homo erectus, H. ergaster is best known from the "Turkana Boy" (KNM-WT 15000), the most complete early hominin...
Homo erectus
The most successful and long-lived hominin species, spanning nearly 2 million years across three continents. First discovered as "Java Man" in 1891, l...
Homo georgicus
Known from five crania and associated postcranial remains from the site of Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia — the earliest hominins found outside Af...
Homo antecessor
The earliest securely dated hominin from Western Europe, known from fragmentary remains of at least six individuals from the Gran Dolina cave site at ...
Homo heidelbergensis
A broadly defined Middle Pleistocene species based on the Mauer mandible from Germany. Has become a "catch-all" taxon for Middle Pleistocene hominins ...
Homo bodoensis
Proposed in 2021 to resolve the taxonomic confusion around Middle Pleistocene African hominins. Intended to replace "African H. heidelbergensis" and t...
Homo cepranensis
A debated hominin taxon based on a partial calvaria discovered in 1994 near Ceprano, Italy. Originally dated to ~800 kya, subsequent work revised the ...
Homo tsaichangensis
A proposed species based on a robust mandible (Penghu 1) dredged from the Penghu Channel off Taiwan. The mandible has an exceptionally thick corpus, l...
Homo neanderthalensis
The most well-known archaic human, with hundreds of fossils and a fully sequenced genome. Characterized by a robust, cold-adapted body, large brain (o...
Homo naledi
A remarkable species combining a small brain (approximately 560 cc, comparable to australopiths) with a surprisingly recent date of 236-335 KYA. Known...
Homo sapiens
The only surviving hominin species. Earliest known fossils are from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco (~315 KYA), with a pan-African origin. Characterized by a gl...
Homo rhodesiensis
Based on the well-preserved Kabwe cranium from Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia). Features a massive brow ridge, large face, and brain capacity of a...
Homo denisova
Known primarily from ancient DNA rather than morphological fossils — a finger bone, a jawbone from Tibet (Xiahe mandible), and a few teeth. The genome...
Homo juluensis
Proposed in 2024 to encompass several enigmatic East Asian Middle Pleistocene fossils including the Xujiayao and Xuchang crania. These specimens share...
Homo helmei
A proposed species for transitional Middle Pleistocene African hominins that combine archaic and modern features. The name is based on a partial crani...
Homo sapiens idaltu
An extinct subspecies of Homo sapiens described from three crania (two adults, one child) from Herto, Middle Awash, Ethiopia, dated ~160-154 kya. The ...
Homo longi
Based on a massive, well-preserved cranium from Harbin, northeastern China, with a brain capacity of approximately 1420 cc. The skull combines a very ...
Homo sp. Nesher Ramla
A Middle Pleistocene Homo population from Nesher Ramla, Israel, dated ~140-120 kya. The fossils include a partial parietal bone and a nearly complete ...
Homo floresiensis
An extraordinarily small hominin from the island of Flores, Indonesia, standing approximately 1 meter tall with a brain of only ~426 cc. Despite the t...
Homo luzonensis
Described in 2019 from teeth, hand and foot bones from Callao Cave on the island of Luzon. Displays a mosaic of features: small teeth similar to H. sa...
Homo sp. (Red Deer Cave)
An informal grouping of Late Pleistocene/early Holocene humans from Maludong (Red Deer Cave) and Longlin Cave in southern China. They display an unusu...