Homo antecessor
| Homo antecessor Conservation status: Fossil | ||||||||||||||||
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| Homo antecessor Bermudez de Castro et al., 1997 |
Homo antecessor is an extinct hominid species that was discovered by J.L. Arsuaga. They are one of the earliest known hominids in Europe (the site of Dmanisi is older). The best preserved skeleton is a 10 year old girl found in Spain dated to 780,000 years ago. The average brain was 1000 cubic centimeters in volume. In 1994, skeletons of six individuals that may have belonged to the species were found in Atapuerca, Spain. At the site were numerous examples of cuts on the bones, which indicates H. antecessor may have practiced cannibalism. Many anthropologists belive that Homo antecessor is the same as Homo heidelbergensis, who inhabited Europe from 800,000 to 100,000 years ago in the Pleistocene.