Traces of coexistence of different species of human ancestors found in Kenya

By Alimat Aliyeva

Anthropologists from the United States and Europe have discovered footprints of Paranthropus and early humans, or Homo erectus, who lived simultaneously on the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya, Azernews reports.

"The traces we found were present in the same sediment layers, which originated at the same time and in the same place. This suggests that the individuals who left them lived together on this part of the lake shore," said Craig Feibel, a professor at Rutgers University.

According to the anthropologists, both Paranthropus and Homo erectus inhabited the area around 1.5 million years ago. Two distinct sets of footprints were uncovered on the northeastern shore of the lake. The discovery was sent for further analysis, which confirmed that the tracks were indeed left around the same time.

This finding challenges the hypothesis put forward by German evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr. According to Mayr’s theory, two species of hominins capable of walking upright could not coexist in the same environment. However, this new evidence suggests that Paranthropus and Homo erectus might have coexisted, forcing a reevaluation of earlier theories regarding early human evolution.

Additional insights:
This discovery adds to the growing body of evidence that early hominins may have shared habitats, which could provide valuable insight into their social behaviors and ecological interactions. It also highlights the complexity of human evolution, showing that the transition from primitive species to fully upright humans was not as linear or exclusive as previously thought.