Turkana Boy, now called Nariokotome Boy, is the common name of Homo erectus fossil KNM-WT 15000, a nearly complete skeleton of a hominin youth who lived during the early Pleistocene. This specimen is the most complete early human skeleton ever found. It is believed to be between 1.5 and 1.6 million years old. Estimates of his age at death range from seven to 18 years old; the most recent scientific review suggests eight years. It was initially suggested that he would have grown into a 185 centimetres (73 in) tall adult, but the most recent analysis argues for the much shorter stature of 163 centimetres (64 in). The reason for this shift has been research showing that his growth maturation differed from that of modern humans in that he would have had a briefer and smaller adolescent growth spurt. The skeleton was discovered in 1984 by Kamoya Kimeu, a member of a team led by Richard Leakey, at Nariokotome near Lake Turkana in Kenya.
For more information, click here. Or, Try these sources:
- Leakey, Richard (1994). The Origin of Humankind. ISBN 0-465-03135-8.
- Leakey, Richard. Origins Reconsidered. ISBN 0-385-41264-9. More information here.
- Walker, Alan; Shipman, Pat. Wisdom of the Bones. ISBN 0-679-74783-4.
- Wheeler, P.E. (1984). "The Evolution of Bipedality and Loss of Functional Body Hair in Hominids". Journal of Human Evolution. 13 (1): 91–98. Can be read here.