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How tall could Homo erectus grow?

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Side-view illustration of a Homo erectus individual, depicted with a robust, upright body covered in hair, walking with one arm bent. A scale bar beside the figure shows measurements in inches and centimeters. — Homo erectus Artist's rendering of *Homo erectus*, which lived from approximately 1,700,000 to 200,000 years ago.

Based on the fossil evidence, particularly the nearly complete skeleton known as the Nariokotome boy (KNM-WT 15000), it is estimated that Homo erectus could reach a height of approximately 180 cm (6 feet) by adulthood.12

While many other Homo erectus limb bones discovered at sites such as Zhoukoudian and Koobi Fora are too fragmented to provide reliable stature estimates, the Nariokotome specimen—which was already 160 cm (5 feet, 3 inches) tall as an adolescent—serves as a key reference for the species' potential body size.12