Nature 327, 205 - 209 (21 May 1987); doi:10.1038/327205a0

New partial skeleton of Homo habilis from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Donald C. Johanson^*, Fidelis T. Masao^†, Gerald G. Eck^‡, Tim D. White^§, Robert C. Walter, William H. Kimbel^*, Berhane Asfaw^§, Paul Manega^¶, Prosper Ndessokia^£ & Gen Suwa^§

^*Institute of Human Origins, 2453 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709, USA
^†National Museums of Tanzania, Box 511, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
^‡Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA
^§Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
Center for Geochronological Research, INSTAAR, Box 450, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
^¶Department of Geology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
^£Department of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA

A new partial skeleton of an adult hominid from lower Bed I (about 1.8 Myr ago), Olduvai Gorge, is described. This specimen's craniodental anatomy indicates attribution to Homo habilis, but its postcranial anatomy, including small body size and relatively long arms, is strikingly similar to that of some early Australopithecus individuals.