KNM-ER 1474 Skull Replica

$174.00

Homo rudolfensis is a species of archaic human from the Early Pleistocene of East Africa about 2 million years ago (mya).

SKU: H1JW5 Tag:

Description

KNM-ER 1474 Skull Replica measures 6.8 inches. KNM-ER 1474 Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane resin cast. Made in USA. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull or office décor skull.

Homo rudolfensis is a species of archaic human from the Early Pleistocene of East Africa about 2 million years ago (mya). Because H. rudolfensis coexisted with several other hominins, it is debated what specimens can be confidently assigned to this species beyond the lectotype skull KNM-ER 1470 and other partial skull aspects.

No bodily remains are definitively assigned to H. rudolfensis. Consequently, both its generic classification and validity are debated without any wide consensus, with some recommending the species to actually belong to the genus Australopithecus as A. rudolfensis or Kenyanthropus as K. rudolfensis, or that it is synonymous with the contemporaneous and anatomically similar H. habilis.

H. rudolfensis is distinguished from H. habilis by larger size, but it is also argued that this species actually consists of male H. habilis specimens, assuming that H. habilis was sexually dimorphic and males were much larger than females.

Because no bodily remains are definitely identified, body size estimates are largely based on the stature of H. habilis. Using this, male H. rudolfensis may have averaged about 160 cm (5 ft. 3 in) in height and 60 kg (130 lb.) in weight, and females 150 cm (4 ft. 11 in) and 51 kg (112 lb.). KNM-ER 1470 had a brain volume of about 750 cc (46 cu in). Like other early Homo, H. rudolfensis had large cheek teeth and thick enamel.

Early Homo species exhibit marked brain growth compared to Australopithecus predecessors, which is typically explained as a change in diet with a calorie-rich food source, namely meat.

Though not associated with tools, dental anatomy suggests some processing of plant or meat fiber before consumption, though the mouth could still effectively chew through mechanically challenging food, indicating tool use did not greatly affect diet.

The first fossils were discovered in 1972 along Lake Turkana (at the time called Lake Rudolf) in Kenya, and were detailed by Kenyan palaeoanthropologist Richard Leakey the following year. The specimens were: a large and nearly complete skull (KNM-ER 1470, the lectotype) discovered by Bernard Ngeneo.

Beyond KNM-ER 1470, there is disagreement on which specimens actually belong in H. rudolfensis as it is difficult to assign with accuracy remains that do not preserve the face and jaw.

Shop More Museum Quality Fossil Skulls in Homo Sapiens Skull Store

Additional information

Weight 3 lbs
Dimensions 6.8 in
KNM-ER 1474 Facts

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Homininae
Tribe: Hominini
Genus: Homo (?)
Species: †H. rudolfensis
Binomial name: †Homo rudolfensis