{"id":95,"date":"2017-09-13T20:18:23","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T20:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-history-of-our-tribe\/chapter\/7-orrorin-tugenensis\/"},"modified":"2017-10-03T15:51:19","modified_gmt":"2017-10-03T15:51:19","slug":"7-orrorin-tugenensis","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-history-of-our-tribe\/chapter\/7-orrorin-tugenensis\/","title":{"raw":"7. Orrorin tugenensis","rendered":"7. Orrorin tugenensis"},"content":{"raw":"
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Orrorin tugenensis<\/i> (~6 mya)<\/b><\/h1>\r\n

(\u201coriginal\u201d \/ Tugen hills)<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_259\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"6.5\" Figure 7.1\u00a0<\/em>Drawing of Orrorin tugenensis fossil material.\u00a0<\/b>\u201cOrrorin tugenensis<\/a>\u201d by Lucius is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n
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SITES<\/b><\/h3>\r\nAragai and Kapsomin in the Tugen Hills of Kenya\r\n

PEOPLE<\/b><\/h3>\r\nBrigitte Senut and Martin Pickford\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nIn 2000, the team of Brigitte Senut<\/b> and Martin Pickford<\/b> discovered fossil material (see Figure 7.1) from the Lukeino Formation in the Tugen Hills of Kenya<\/b>. Nicknamed \u201cMillenium Man<\/b>\u201d due to its timely discovery, the fossils were dated to ~6 mya and given the taxonomic classification, Orrorin tugenensis<\/i> (\u201coriginal man from the Tugen hills\u201d). Initially many paleoanthropologists were skeptical, especially since the fossils were not made available to the scientific community. While there is still debate, O. tugenensis<\/i> is increasingly presented in published texts as a hominin.\r\n

PHYLOGENY<\/b><\/h2>\r\nThe ancestry of O. tugenensis<\/i> is unknown. Senut and Pickford believe that Orrorin<\/i> is ancestral to humans. They suggest that the hominin tribe split prior to 6 mya with Orrorin<\/i> and some species of australopiths (specifically Australopithecus anamensis<\/i> and Australopithecus<\/i> afarensis<\/i>, which they place in the genus Preanthropus<\/i>) in the human lineage and ardipiths and robust australopiths, or\u00a0paranthropines (including\u00a0Australopithecus africanus<\/i>), on another branch that died out.\r\n

DISCOVERY AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE<\/b><\/h2>\r\nThere are only two known sites for the species, Aragai and Kapsomin, both of which are in the Tugen Hills of Kenya (see Figure 7.2).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_260\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"6.6\" Figure 7.2\u00a0<\/em>Ororrin tugenensis sites, Kenya. <\/b>\u201cOrrorin localities<\/a>\u201d by Chartep is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>.[\/caption]\r\n

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS<\/b><\/h2>\r\nFew body parts have been recovered. The fossils consist of a partial humerus, femur, and mandible; a distal thumb bone (phalanx); and some teeth. Primitive characteristics include remnants of a honing complex, with large canines and a \u201csemi-sectorial<\/b>\u201d premolar. The molars were covered with thick enamel<\/b> like those of later hominins, and while they were small like our own, they were not as laterally expanded. Senut and Pickford assert that the femur of O. tugenensis<\/i> is very human-like, with its large head and hominin-like carrying\/bicondylar angle, and thus is part of the human lineage.\r\n

ENVIRONMENT AND WAY OF LIFE<\/b><\/h2>\r\nIt is generally accepted that O. tugenensis<\/i> was bipedal, and that they likely practiced a similar way of life as the ardipiths and australopiths. Thus, they were likely semi-terrestrial, foraging both in trees and on the ground and using trees for sleep and safety. However, their more human-like femur and thick molar enamel allies them more with the australopiths and they thus likely spent more time on the ground than the ardipiths and exploited a greater percentage of terrestrial resources that cause more tooth wear. In addition, like Australopithecus afarensis<\/i>, O. tugenensis<\/i> exhibits vestiges of the honing complex and thus may be ancestral to australopiths.\r\n

<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"
\n

Orrorin tugenensis<\/i> (~6 mya)<\/b><\/h1>\n

(\u201coriginal\u201d \/ Tugen hills)<\/h2>\n
\"6.5\"<\/p>\n

Figure 7.1\u00a0<\/em>Drawing of Orrorin tugenensis fossil material.\u00a0<\/b>\u201cOrrorin tugenensis<\/a>\u201d by Lucius is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

SITES<\/b><\/h3>\n

Aragai and Kapsomin in the Tugen Hills of Kenya<\/p>\n

PEOPLE<\/b><\/h3>\n

Brigitte Senut and Martin Pickford<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 2000, the team of Brigitte Senut<\/b> and Martin Pickford<\/b> discovered fossil material (see Figure 7.1) from the Lukeino Formation in the Tugen Hills of Kenya<\/b>. Nicknamed \u201cMillenium Man<\/b>\u201d due to its timely discovery, the fossils were dated to ~6 mya and given the taxonomic classification, Orrorin tugenensis<\/i> (\u201coriginal man from the Tugen hills\u201d). Initially many paleoanthropologists were skeptical, especially since the fossils were not made available to the scientific community. While there is still debate, O. tugenensis<\/i> is increasingly presented in published texts as a hominin.<\/p>\n

PHYLOGENY<\/b><\/h2>\n

The ancestry of O. tugenensis<\/i> is unknown. Senut and Pickford believe that Orrorin<\/i> is ancestral to humans. They suggest that the hominin tribe split prior to 6 mya with Orrorin<\/i> and some species of australopiths (specifically Australopithecus anamensis<\/i> and Australopithecus<\/i> afarensis<\/i>, which they place in the genus Preanthropus<\/i>) in the human lineage and ardipiths and robust australopiths, or\u00a0paranthropines (including\u00a0Australopithecus africanus<\/i>), on another branch that died out.<\/p>\n

DISCOVERY AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are only two known sites for the species, Aragai and Kapsomin, both of which are in the Tugen Hills of Kenya (see Figure 7.2).<\/p>\n

\"6.6\"<\/p>\n

Figure 7.2\u00a0<\/em>Ororrin tugenensis sites, Kenya. <\/b>\u201cOrrorin localities<\/a>\u201d by Chartep is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS<\/b><\/h2>\n

Few body parts have been recovered. The fossils consist of a partial humerus, femur, and mandible; a distal thumb bone (phalanx); and some teeth. Primitive characteristics include remnants of a honing complex, with large canines and a \u201csemi-sectorial<\/b>\u201d premolar. The molars were covered with thick enamel<\/b> like those of later hominins, and while they were small like our own, they were not as laterally expanded. Senut and Pickford assert that the femur of O. tugenensis<\/i> is very human-like, with its large head and hominin-like carrying\/bicondylar angle, and thus is part of the human lineage.<\/p>\n

ENVIRONMENT AND WAY OF LIFE<\/b><\/h2>\n

It is generally accepted that O. tugenensis<\/i> was bipedal, and that they likely practiced a similar way of life as the ardipiths and australopiths. Thus, they were likely semi-terrestrial, foraging both in trees and on the ground and using trees for sleep and safety. However, their more human-like femur and thick molar enamel allies them more with the australopiths and they thus likely spent more time on the ground than the ardipiths and exploited a greater percentage of terrestrial resources that cause more tooth wear. In addition, like Australopithecus afarensis<\/i>, O. tugenensis<\/i> exhibits vestiges of the honing complex and thus may be ancestral to australopiths.<\/p>\n

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