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Laetoli
 Hominid footprints at site S in Laetoli | |
  Site location in Tanzania | |
| Location | Monduli District, Arusha Region,  Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Region | Eastern Africa |
| Coordinates | 2°59′46.39″S 35°21′8.64″E / 2.9962194°S 35.3524000°E |
| Type | Archaeological |
| Area | 20 km2 (215,278,208 sq ft) |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Mary Leakey |
| Condition | Excavated |
| Ownership | Tanzanian Government |
| Management | Antiquities Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism [1] |
| Public access | Yes |
| Official name | Laetoli Footprints |
| Type | Pre-historic |
Laetoli is a pre-historic site located in Enduleni ward of Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region, Tanzania. The site is dated to the Plio-Pleistocene and famous for its Hominina footprints, preserved in volcanic ash. The site of the Laetoli footprints (Site G) is located 45 km south of Olduvai gorge. The location and tracks were discovered by archaeologist Mary Leakey and her team in 1976, and were excavated by 1978. Based on analysis of the footfall impressions "The Laetoli Footprints" provided convincing evidence for the theory of bipedalism in Pliocene Hominina and received significant recognition by scientists and the public. Since 1998, paleontological expeditions have continued under the leadership of Amandus Kwekason of the National Museum of Tanzania and Terry Harrison of New York University, leading to the recovery of more than a dozen new Hominina finds,[2] as well as a comprehensive reconstruction of the paleoecology.[3] The site is a registered National Historic Sites of Tanzania.[4]
Dated to 3.7 million years ago, they were the oldest known evidence of hominin bipedalism at that time. Subsequently, older Ardipithecus ramidus fossils were found with features that suggest bipedalism. With the footprints there were other discoveries excavated at Laetoli including Hominina and animal skeletal remains. Analysis of the footprints and skeletal structure showed clear evidence that bipedalism preceded enlarged brains in Hominina. At a species level, the identity of the Hominina who made the trace is difficult to construe precisely; Australopithecus afarensis is the species most commonly proposed.
- ^ "Antiquities Division". Retrieved 21 Jul 2022.
- ^ Harrison, Terry (27 January 2011). Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli: Human Evolution in Context: Fossil Hominins and the Associated Fauna. Vol. 2. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 141–188. ISBN 978-9400735088.
- ^ Harrison, Terry (19 January 2011). Paleontology and Geology of Laetoli, Tanzania: Human Evolution in Context: Geology, Geochronology, Paleoecology and Paleoenvironment. Vol. 1. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 402. ISBN 978-9048199556.
- ^ "Antiquities Sites" (PDF). Retrieved 21 Jul 2022.
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