Taung Child, Fossil Hominid
name: label: Collector
content: R. Dart
label: Discipline
content: Anthropology
label: Region
content: African Region
notes: label: Description
content: This object is part of the Education and Outreach collection, some of which are in the Q?rius science education center and available to see.
label: Geologic Age
content: Pliocene
label: Notes
content: Red/brown plaster cast skull of "Taung Child," from the species Australopithecus africanus. This 3-year-old child's skull is the first early human skull ever discovered in Africa. The age was determined using the Taung Child?s first molars that had only just begun to erupt through the gum and become visible as teeth, indicating that the fossilized jaw belongs to a child. Closer analysis of dental development, crown formation, and root length has estimated the child?s age at death at 3.3 years. Portions of the cranium and mandible are present. All teeth are present indicated in light gray; black represents missing pieces. "Taung Child" is about 2.8 million years old.
label: Number of objects in this record
content: 2
label: Record Last Modified
content: 18 Apr 2023
place: label: Collecting Locality
content: Taung, Africa, South Africa, North West Province
topic: label: Topic
content: Education & Outreach
setName: label: See more items in
content: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center
publisher: label: Scientific Name
content: Australopithecus africanus
identifier: label: USNM Number
content: EO67370
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Education and Outreach collections
taxonomicName: label: Taxonomy
content: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Tetrapoda, Mammalia, Primates, Hominidae
physicalDescription: label: Is this real?
content: No, it's a cast.
label: Life Stage
content: Juvenile
label: Material
content: Plaster, Paint