Peninj Mandible
NMT-W64-160
- Date
- 1964 · confidence high
- Place
- Lake Natron, Arusha Region, Tanzania
- Credited to
- Kamoya Kimeu y Richard Leakey
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Fossil mandible of a robust hominin, likely Paranthropus boisei, found near Lake Natron by Kamoya Kimeu, Glynn Isaac, and Richard Leakey; dated to 1.5 million years, it shows the large molars and reduced incisors typical of this lineage.
What it led to
- Expansion of the Paranthropus boisei fossil record beyond Olduvai
- Establishment of the Rift region as a focus of paleoanthropology
- Boost to Richard Leakey's paleontological career