Ardipithecus kadabba

American  

[ahr-duh-pith-i-kuhs kuh-dah-buh, ahr-duh-puh-thee-kuhs] / ˌɑr dəˈpɪθ ɪ kəs kəˈdɑ bə, ˌɑr də pəˈθi kəs /

noun

1. an extinct species of early hominin whose fossil remains were discovered in Ethiopia in 1997 and have been dated at about 5.6–5.8 million years of age: named as a distinct species in 2004, it is believed to have been bipedal and similar in body and brain size to a chimpanzee.

2. a fossil belonging to this species.

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Etymology

Origin of Ardipithecus kadabba

Ardipithecus ( def. ) + Afar kadabba “father of a family, oldest ancestor”; coined in 2004 by Ethiopian paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie Ambaye (born 1961), Japanese paleoanthropologist Gen Suwa (born 1954), and U.S. paleoanthropologist Tim White (born 1950)

Example Sentences

Nearby, Haile-Selassie later found the lower jaw, teeth, and disarticulated bones of the hands, feet, and arm of Ardipithecus kadabba, dated to 5.8 million years ago.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 3, 2024