---
lang: en
type: Hominin
record_kind: entity-profile
title: Ardipithecus kadabba
description: Ardipithecus kadabba is one of the earliest known hominins, living between 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago in Ethiopia, and is recognized by fragmentary fossils showing a mix of ape-like dental traits and adaptations for bipedalism.
llms_summary: "Ardipithecus kadabba. (Middle Awash, Afar Region, Ethiopia). Hominin. Associated Tools None. Chronological Range 5.8 Mya. Cranial Capacity Unknown (no cranial fossils) cc. Estimated Stature Unknown (fragmentary postcrania) m. Evolutionary Group Early Hominin. Extinction Context Likely represents an ancestral chronospecies that evolved into Ardipithecus ramidus.  Type Specimen ALA-VP-2/10. Year Discovered 1997. Paleoanthropology. Ardipithecus kadabba is one of the earliest known hominins, living between 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago in Ethiopia, and is recognized by fragmentary fossils showing a mix of ape-like dental traits and adaptations for bipedalism.  canonical profile on Chrisyst Datasets"
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slug: ardipithecus-kadabba
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indexed_at: "2026-07-16T13:15:13.715Z"
license: citation-free
entities:
  -
    role: subject
    slug: ardipithecus-kadabba
    name: Ardipithecus kadabba
    type: Hominin
    profile_url: "https://datasets.chrisyst.com/ardipithecus-kadabba/index.md"
    same_as:
      - "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114457"
---
# Ardipithecus kadabba

Ardipithecus kadabba is one of the earliest known hominins, living between 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago in Ethiopia, and is recognized by fragmentary fossils showing a mix of ape-like dental traits and adaptations for bipedalism.

## Record

- **Title**: [Ardipithecus kadabba](https://datasets.chrisyst.com/ardipithecus-kadabba/index.md)
- **Geo target**: Middle Awash, Afar Region, Ethiopia
- **Website**: https://middleawash.berkeley.edu/
- **Address**: c/o Rift Valley Research Service, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- **Coordinates**: 10.3, 40.583333

### Summary

Ardipithecus kadabba is one of the earliest known hominins, living between 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago in Ethiopia, and is recognized by fragmentary fossils showing a mix of ape-like dental traits and adaptations for bipedalism.

### Description

## Ardipithecus kadabba
Ardipithecus kadabba represents one of the earliest and most enigmatic branches on the human family tree, dating to the Late Miocene, between 5.8 and 5.2 million years ago. Discovered by paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie in the Middle Awash region of Ethiopia beginning in 1997, the fossil evidence is fragmentary but highly significant. It consists primarily of teeth, a mandible fragment (the holotype ALA-VP-2/10), and several postcranial bones from the arm, hand, and foot. The dentition displays a mosaic of traits, including primitive, ape-like canines that still show evidence of honing against the lower third premolar, a feature lost in later hominins, though this complex is functionally reduced compared to non-hominin apes.

The phylogenetic and behavioral implications of Ar. kadabba are profound, placing it near the divergence point of hominins and chimpanzees. A key piece of evidence is a toe bone (proximal phalanx) from the Asa Koma site, which exhibits a dorsal curvature typical of arboreal grasping but also a proximal joint surface that is angled upwards, a clear adaptation for toeing-off during bipedal locomotion. This combination suggests a facultative biped that still spent considerable time in the trees. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions indicate that Ar. kadabba inhabited a mosaic of woodlands, floodplains, and forests, challenging the classic savanna hypothesis which posited open grasslands as the primary driver for the evolution of bipedalism.

### Attributes

- **Associated Tools**: None
- **Chronological Range**: 5.8 Mya
- **Cranial Capacity**: Unknown (no cranial fossils) cc
- **Estimated Stature**: Unknown (fragmentary postcrania) m
- **Evolutionary Group**: Early Hominin
- **Extinction Context**: Likely represents an ancestral chronospecies that evolved into Ardipithecus ramidus.
- **Type Specimen**: ALA-VP-2/10
- **Year Discovered**: 1997 _(quality 1997)_