Latest Hominidae Stories
AP -- New fossil finds and a computer skull reconstruction bolster the case that an ancient creature that grabbed headlines in 2002 really is the earliest known ancestor of modern humans, researchers say. In that year, scientists announced finding jaw fragments, some isolated teeth and a skull of a creature nicknamed "Toumai" in Chad. At some 6 million to 7 million years old, the fossils came from around the time of a major split in the evolutionary tree, with one branch leading...
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- An international team of researchers will study social interaction at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa this spring to learn more about human forgiveness and the process of culture, officials with the research center said. Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, lead scientist, said the four-month project studying bonobos will be funded by a $125,000 grant from the Richmond, Va.-based Campaign for Forgiveness Research. "By looking at how apes learn to channel certain abilities such...
PARIS (AFP) -- Palaeontologists say they have found a fossil haul from at least nine hominids who lived in eastern Africa more than four million years ago in the early chapters of human history.The discovery was made at As Duma in Ethiopia's Afar region, near the border with Djibouti, they report in Thursday's issue of Nature, the weekly British scientific journal. The find -- mainly teeth, pieces of jaw, hand and feet --- are dated as between 4.32-4.51 million years old and belonging to...
Latest Hominidae Reference Libraries
The common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), also known as the robust chimpanzee, is a great ape. Basic facts Common chimpanzees are found in the tropical forests and wet savannas of Western and Central Africa. They once inhabited most of this region, but their habitat has been dramatically reduced in recent years. Adults in the wild weigh between 88 and 143 lbs (40 and 65 kg). Males can measure up to 63 inches (160 cm) and females up to 51 inches (130 cm). They are lighter than humans...
The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is one of two subspecies of Eastern Gorillas. It is only found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three national parks. Some claim that the Bwindi population in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a third subspecies. A census taken in 2003 has shown a 17% increase in population size since 1989. There are now a total of 380 gorillas in 30 social groups. However, the mountain gorilla continues to be considered...
