Australopithecus anamensis

[ aw-strey-loh-pith-i-kuhs an-uh-men-sis, -puh-thee-kuhs, aw-struh-loh- ]

noun

1. an extinct species of early hominin whose fossil remains were discovered in Kenya in 1965 and more extensively in 1994, dated at about 3.9–4.2 million years of age, believed by some scientists to be older, less evolved members of the species Australopithecus afarensis: evidence suggests A. anamensis possessed both human and ape traits, notably humanlike ankles for bipedal walking and apelike forearms and wrists for climbing trees.
2. a fossil belonging to this species.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Australopithecus anamensis¹

Australopithecus ( def ) + New Latin anamēnsis, from Turkana anam “lake” + -ensis; coined in 1995 by British paleoanthropologist Meave Leakey (born 1942) and her associates. Leakey noted the differences between Australopithecus afarensis and the new finds and assigned them to a new species; -ensis ( def )