Sahelanthropus tchadensis

American  

[sah-he--lan-thruh-puhs cha-den-sis] / ˌsɑ hɛ ˈlæn θrə pəs tʃæˈdɛn sɪs /

noun

1. an extinct species of hominin and one of the oldest known species in the human lineage, having lived between about 6 and 7 million years ago in central Africa and noted for its upright walking as well as both apelike and humanlike features: the first of few fossil specimens were discovered in northern Chad in 2001, indicating the earliest humans were more widely distributed than previously thought.

2. a fossil belonging to this species.

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Etymology

Origin of Sahelanthropus tchadensis

First recorded in 2000–05; from New Latin Sahelanthrōpus, literally, “Sahel man,” from Arabic sāḥil “coast, shore” + Greek ánthrōpos “human being, man” + tchadensis , literally, “of or pertaining to Chad,” in north central Africa.

Example Sentences

A new study by anthropologists now presents strong evidence that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a species first identified in the early 2000s, was capable of upright walking.

From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026

The fossil species, named Sahelanthropus tchadensis, walked upright while still being able to climb around in trees, they reported.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2022

One of the earliest specimens that people believe lies on our lineage – or not far from it – is Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a six to seven-million-year-old fossil found in Chad.

From The Guardian • Feb. 12, 2018

The oldest of these, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, has been dated to nearly 7 million years ago.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Unlike Darwin, the hall reminds us, we know that there have been multiple human species, including Homo floresiensis, Homo neanderthalensis, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo erectus, Paranthropus boisei, Paranthropus robustus, Australopithecus afarensis and Sahelanthropus tchadensis.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2010