Nariokotome, West Turkana, Africa, Kenya, Turkana County
Collection Date:
1984
Description:
This object is part of the Education and Outreach collection, some of which are in the Q?rius science education center and available to see.
Geologic Age:
1.6 mya
Notes:
Light beige skull cast of KNM-WT 15000A, part of a nearly complete skeleton called the 'Turkana Boy'. The 'Turkana Boy' skeleton has allowed scientists to find out a lot of information about body size, body shape, and growth rates of Homo erectus. His pelvis shows he was male. His second molars had erupted, but not his third (the wisdom teeth), indicating he was not an adult. The microscopic structure of his teeth tells us how quickly his teeth grew – and thus his age: eight or nine years old. Turkana Boy's cranial capacity at death was 880 cubic centimeters, but scientists estimate it would have reached 909 cubic centimeters if he had grown into adulthood. The Turkana Boy's species, Homo erectus, is the first known species to spread widely within Africa and throughout Asia, and Homo erectus made and used stone tools. The real skull is about 1.6 million years old. The cast measures around 20 cm x 13 cm x 11 cm in size. Find out more by visiting humanorigins.si.edu
