List of human evolution fossils
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The following tables give an overview of notable finds of homini fossils and remains relating to human evolution, beginning with the formation of the tribe Hominini (the divergence of the human and chimpanzee lineages) in the late Miocene, roughly 7 to 8 million years ago.
This overview is not complete, but shows some of the most important findings. It is rare to find a complete skull or skeleton, and there are thousands of mostly fragmentary fossils, often consisting of single bones or isolated teeth, making it difficult to accurately identify them. The fossils are arranged by approximate age as determined by radiometric dating and/or incremental dating and the species name represents current consensus; if there is no clear scientific consensus the other possible classifications are indicated.
The early fossils shown are not considered ancestors to Homo sapiens but are closely related to ancestors and are therefore important to the study of the lineage. After 1.5 million years ago (extinction of Paranthropus), all fossils shown are human (genus Homo). After 11,500 years ago (11.5 ka, beginning of the Holocene), all fossils shown are Homo sapiens (anatomically modern humans), illustrating recent divergence in the formation of modern human sub-populations.
Late Miocene (7.2–5.5 million years old)
The chimpanzee–human divergence likely took place around 10 to 7 million years ago. The list of fossils begins with Sahelanthropus, dated some 7 million years ago, which may or may not be ancestral to both the human and the chimpanzee lineage, although its status as a hominin or a hominin ancestor remains debated. For the earlier history of the human lineage, see Timeline of human evolution#Hominidae, Hominidae#Phylogeny.
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