SPECIES OF THE MONTH: SEPTEMBER 2015

Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum    : Chordata

Class        : Mammalia

Order       : Primates

Family     : Hominidae

Genus      : Homo

Species    : Homo naledi

Researchers have discovered a brand new species of human ancestor buried deep inside a South African cave system. The fossils uncovered included 15 partial skeletons, making it the biggest single discovery of its kind in Africa.

But what's most exciting is that this new ancestor, named Homo naledi, may have been one of the first members of our genus, and may change our understanding of human evolution forever.

The species walked upright at a height of around 150 centimetres. Despite their height, they also had a tiny brain only slightly larger than a chimpanzee's, with a volume of around 450 to 550 cubic centimetres.

The skeletons suggest that Homo naledi wasn't carrying much body weight, with researchers estimating an average weight of around 45 kg. Their bodies also appear to have been built to walk long distances.

Homo naledi had small, modern-looking teeth and feet similar to humans, but more primitive fingers. It's believed the bodies of these individuals were buried in the chamber intentionally, possibly as some type of burial ritual.

No evidence of that kind of behaviour has been seen in such a primitive human ancestor before.The fossils were discovered inside the Rising Star cave system, 48 km northwest of Johannesburg.

They were named after the Dinaledi chamber where they were found. Currently the researchers believe that Homo naledi may sit between Homo habilis and Homo erectus on the family tree.

The results have been published in two concurrent papers in the journal eLife, and a story on the discovery appears on the cover of the October issue of National Geographic.

Website: http://elifesciences.org