At a Glance
- Researchers discovered ancient hominin footprints near Lake Turkana, Kenya, showing that Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei coexisted around 1.5 million years ago.
- Using 3D imaging, the footprints revealed apparent differences in walking styles, highlighting upright walking for both species but with variations in gait and posture.
- The findings suggest the two species lived in the same environment, possibly sharing resources and raising questions about potential competition or cooperation.
- The footprints provide rare trace fossil evidence of movement and behavior, offering a unique perspective on how these early human ancestors lived.
- This discovery sheds light on the interactions between species, contributing to a deeper understanding of human evolution and the paths leading to modern humans.
A discovery in Kenya has provided concrete evidence that two species of early human ancestors coexisted and possibly interacted around 1.5 million years ago. Researchers from Imperial College London and Rutgers University analyzed ancient hominin footprints found near the shores of Lake Turkana, which show that the two species—Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei—left their marks on the same surface at nearly the same time. This discovery, published in two papers in the journal Science, offers a new look at human evolution and the behaviors of these species.
The footprints were discovered at the Koobi Fora site in northern Kenya, a rich fossil region. The researchers used advanced techniques, including 3D imaging, to study the tracks. The footprints showed apparent differences in walking styles between the two species. H. erectus, a direct and extinct human ancestor, and P. boisei, which is now also extinct, both walked upright, but their gait and posture varied. These differences were crucial in identifying the species, marking an essential step in understanding how early human relatives lived and moved.
This discovery is even more significant because it is the first to prove that these two species lived alongside each other, interacting on the same landscape. The footprints suggest that they shared the same habitats and resources. This discovery also opens up new questions about how these species may have interacted, whether through competition or cooperation and what their relationship might have been like.
For scientists, the footprints offer a rare glimpse into the behaviors of ancient humans. Unlike body fossils, which provide evidence of an organism’s physical structure, trace fossils, like footprints, show how an organism moved and lived. “This proves beyond any question that not only one, but two different hominins were walking on the same surface, literally within hours of each other,” said Professor Craig Feibel, one of the lead researchers, in a press release. The discovery gives insight into how early human species interacted, shedding light on the evolutionary paths that led to modern humans.
References
- Rutgers University. (2024, November 28). A fossil first: Scientists find 1.5-million-year-old footprints of two different species of human ancestors at same spot. Phys.Org; Rutgers University. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-fossil-scientists-million-year-footprints.html
- Harcourt-Smith, W. E. H. (2024). Contemporary hominin locomotor diversity. Science, 386(6725), 969–970. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt8033
- Hatala, K. G., Roach, N. T., Behrensmeyer, A. K., Falkingham, P. L., Gatesy, S. M., Williams-Hatala, E. M., Feibel, C. S., Dalacha, I., Kirinya, M., Linga, E., Loki, R., Alkoro, A., Longaye, Longaye, M., Lonyericho, E., Loyapan, I., Nakudo, N., Nyete, C., & Leakey, L. N. (2024). Footprint evidence for locomotor diversity and shared habitats among early Pleistocene hominins. Science, 386(6725), 1004–1010. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado5275
