Ardipithecus: Quick Facts

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skeleton of “Ardi”

A diagram showing the tentative evolutionary relationships among hominid species over the past four million years, with skull images and labeled species names connected by solid and dotted lines to indicate proposed evolutionary pathways.

Diagram tracing the evolutionary split of humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas over the past 12 million years, with skull illustrations for key hominin species and African great apes, and branching lines showing divergence points.

Thematic map of sub-Saharan Africa showing major sites where hominid fossils have been found, including locations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Chad, and South Africa. Different symbols indicate fossil discoveries of Australopithecus, Kenyanthropus, Ardipithecus, Orrorin, and Paranthropus. Major lakes and country borders are also marked for geographic context.

Map of Ethiopia highlighting new hominin fossil sites in the Middle Awash region. An inset shows the locations of Ardipithecus and Australopithecus fossil discoveries near the Awash River and Yardi Lake, marked with colored dots. Surrounding countries and major cities in Ethiopia are also labeled.

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Topics

Ardipithecus ramidus Ardipithecus kadabba Lothagam mandible Miocene Epoch Pliocene Epoch anthropoid fossil Hominidae hominin adapiform Paranthropus Gigantopithecus Ramapithecus Ganlea megacanina Sivapithecus Homo Dryopithecus Oreopithecus Notharctus

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024

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