New Hominid Fossil - Selam

Researchers in Ethiopia have announced the discovery of a 3.3 million year old fossil of a female toddler belonging to the species Australopithecus afarensis. They have named her Selam. This is the oldest and most complete specimen of a hominid juvenile ever found.

To put this in perspective, fossils that old are rarely so complete. What is usually found are a few teeth or pieces of the skull. This find is even more remarkable when you consider that young bones are more fragile and thus less likely to be preserved over millions of years.

Click on the photo for more information from the journal Nature.