Sahelanthropus

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sahelanthropus

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Sahelanthropus?Northern Chad, Africa
2. What is the scientific name?Sahelanthropus tchadensis
3. What is the estimated age?Approximately 7 million years before present
4. Where was Sahelanthropus discovered?Scientists found a well-preserved skull nicknamed Toumaï in northern Chad. The fossil was announced in 2002.
5. How big was Sahelanthropus's brain?Its braincase held about 320-380 cubic centimeters, similar in size to a modern chimpanzee's brain.

Hominin: The tribe Hominini, which comprises the species of the genus Homo and their extinct bipedal relatives.
Phylogenetic Divergence: The point at which a lineage splits into two or more distinct evolutionary lines.
Mosaic Evolution: The concept that evolutionary change takes place in some body parts or functions without simultaneously affecting others.
Paleoanthropology: The study of the fossil evidence of the earliest humans and their ancestors.