---
lang: en
type: Hominin
record_kind: entity-profile
title: Australopithecus anamensis
description: Australopithecus anamensis is one of the earliest known australopith species, demonstrating a clear combination of primitive ape-like cranial features and advanced post-cranial traits indicative of habitual bipedalism.
llms_summary: "Australopithecus anamensis. (Kanapoi, Turkana County, Kenya). Hominin. Associated Tools None. Chronological Range 4.2 Mya. Cranial Capacity 370 cc. Estimated Stature 1.3 m. Evolutionary Group Australopith. Extinction Context Likely evolved directly into Australopithecus afarensis (anagenesis), representing a chronospecies transition.  Type Specimen KNM-KP 29281. Year Discovered 1994. Paleoanthropology. Australopithecus anamensis is one of the earliest known australopith species, demonstrating a clear combination of primitive ape-like cranial features and advanced post-cranial traits indicative of habitual bipedalism.  canonical profile on Chrisyst Datasets"
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    slug: australopithecus-anamensis
    name: Australopithecus anamensis
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# Australopithecus anamensis

Australopithecus anamensis is one of the earliest known australopith species, demonstrating a clear combination of primitive ape-like cranial features and advanced post-cranial traits indicative of habitual bipedalism.

## Record

- **Title**: [Australopithecus anamensis](https://datasets.chrisyst.com/australopithecus-anamensis/index.md)
- **Geo target**: Kanapoi, Turkana County, Kenya
- **Website**: https://www.museums.or.ke/
- **Phone**: +254 721 308485
- **Email**: publicrelations@museums.or.ke
- **Address**: Museum Hill Road, Nairobi, Nairobi County, P.O. Box 40658 - 00100, Kenya
- **Coordinates**: -1.286389, 36.817223

### Summary

Australopithecus anamensis is one of the earliest known australopith species, demonstrating a clear combination of primitive ape-like cranial features and advanced post-cranial traits indicative of habitual bipedalism.

### Description

## Australopithecus anamensis
Australopithecus anamensis represents one of the earliest and most primitive members of the australopith group, providing a crucial link to earlier hominins. First discovered in 1994 by Meave Leakey's team at Kanapoi and Allia Bay in Kenya, its anatomy showcases a mosaic of ancestral and derived traits. The species is characterized by primitive, ape-like features such as a U-shaped dental arcade with large canines and parallel tooth rows, as well as long forearms. However, the most significant derived feature is the tibia (shin bone), which exhibits a thickened plateau for weight-bearing, providing unequivocal evidence for habitual bipedal locomotion. This combination firmly places *A. anamensis* as a bipedal hominin that still retained adaptations for arboreal life, and it is widely considered the direct ancestor of the later, more famous *Australopithecus afarensis*.

The lifestyle of *A. anamensis* was adapted to a mixed environment of woodlands and open grasslands near lakes and rivers. While its lower limbs were built for walking upright, its powerful arms and curved finger bones suggest it was also an adept climber, likely using trees for foraging, nesting, or escaping predators. Isotopic analysis of tooth enamel reveals a flexible diet, primarily consisting of C3 plants like fruits and leaves, but also incorporating tougher C4 resources such as grasses, sedges, or the animals that ate them. The 2016 discovery of a remarkably complete cranium, MRD-VP-1/1, from Woranso-Mille, Ethiopia, revolutionized our understanding of its face, revealing a projecting midface, prominent cheekbones, and a small braincase of about 370 cc.

### Attributes

- **Associated Tools**: None
- **Chronological Range**: 4.2 Mya
- **Cranial Capacity**: 370 cc _(quality 370)_
- **Estimated Stature**: 1.3 m _(quality 1)_
- **Evolutionary Group**: Australopith
- **Extinction Context**: Likely evolved directly into Australopithecus afarensis (anagenesis), representing a chronospecies transition.
- **Type Specimen**: KNM-KP 29281
- **Year Discovered**: 1994 _(quality 1994)_