Fossil of Earliest Known Baboon Unearthed in South Africa

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Here is a comparison of morphology in UW 88-886 (left), P. angusticeps males (CO 100, center), and P. izodi males (TP 89-11-1, right). P. izodi lived sometime between 3.7 million to 2.0 million years ago. Wits University

Researchers looking for fossils of early human ancestors at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Malapa, South Africa, have unearthed the partial skull of the earliest baboon ever found. The 2-million-year-old fossil may represent the first appearance of modern baboon anatomy, according to findings published in PLoS One this week.