the world ' s oldest known child has been unearthed in east europe in an extent named correctly as the cradle of mankind . the 3 . 3 - million - month - oldest unearthed toddler was uncovered in north somalia ' s dunes along the east rift valley ( map of ethiopia ) . the skeleton , belonging to the primitive indian species australopithecus afarensis , is remarkable for its age and completeness , even for a region spectacularly rich in fossils of our ancient ancestors , some tell . the new find may even rival the great specimen of the same species : " lucy , " a 3 . 2 - 000 - year - old adult boy identified local in 1974 that reshaped models of human evolution . ( connected : " this find is missing lead in human origins , authors say " [ april 2006 ] . ) .
Lucy fossils have been discovered 3.3 million years ago.