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KNM-WT 15000A, KNM-WT 15000, Turkana Boy, Human Fossil

National Museum of Natural History

Object Details

Collector
K. Kimeu
Discipline
Anthropology
Region
African Region
Description
This object is part of the Education and Outreach collection, some of which are in the Q?rius science education center and available to see.
Geologic Age
1.6 mya
Light beige skull cast of KNM-WT 15000A, part of a nearly complete skeleton called the 'Turkana Boy'. The 'Turkana Boy' skeleton has allowed scientists to find out a lot of information about body size, body shape, and growth rates of Homo erectus. His pelvis shows he was male. His second molars had erupted, but not his third (the wisdom teeth), indicating he was not an adult. The microscopic structure of his teeth tells us how quickly his teeth grew – and thus his age: eight or nine years old. Turkana Boy's cranial capacity at death was 880 cubic centimeters, but scientists estimate it would have reached 909 cubic centimeters if he had grown into adulthood. The Turkana Boy's species, Homo erectus, is the first known species to spread widely within Africa and throughout Asia, and Homo erectus made and used stone tools. The real skull is about 1.6 million years old. The cast measures around 20 cm x 13 cm x 11 cm in size. Find out more by visiting humanorigins.si.edu
Number of objects in this record
1
Record Last Modified
1 Nov 2023
Collection Date
1984
USNM Number
EO401764
Object Type
Education and Outreach collections
Is this real?
No, it's a cast.
Material
Plastic, Paint
Collecting Locality
Nariokotome, West Turkana, Africa, Kenya, Turkana County
Scientific Name
Homo erectus
See more items in
Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center
Taxonomy
Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Tetrapoda, Mammalia, Theria, Primates, Hominidae
Topic
Education & Outreach
Record ID
nmnheducation_13109587
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3ca5a0b49-cfd7-4883-89f9-11c704be95ed
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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