Tchadanthropus

*Tchadanthropus* is a dubious genus of hominin that lived in Chad during the Early-Middle Pleistocene.

## History

After a research venture started in 1959, the fossil was discovered in 1961 from north Chad from small palm grove, Yaho. The skull was given to Yves Coppens' wife by a Chadian cook of the Department of Mines and Geology. In 1965, Coppens published the skull under a new name, *T. uxoris*, and had an impact in the community. The genus name means "Chad man", and '*uxoris*' translates to "of the wife", a reference to Coppens' wife obtaining the material. In 2018, Coppens wrote about how "*Tchadanthropus*" was "more of a nickname", since it was the first hominid from the locality and age. He writes the name was not "scientifically justified", but was considered "fair game". Coppens died in 2022 at 87 years old, with his achievements citing the skull as 1 million years old and having been discovered at the same site as *Sahelanthropus*. They state that the discovery of this skull sealed Coppens' name into the media.

## Description

*T. uxoris* consists of the upper region of the face and the anterior half of the skullcap. Due to the parietals being missing, the endocranial volume is difficult to determine, but was likely low due to the forehead being absent. It was first described as having strong prognathism (akin to australopithecines) and large eye sockets. It was dated to one million years old by Coppens, but could have only been 10,000 years old based on stratigraphic, paleontological and radiochronological data shown by Michael Servant in (as early as) 1973 in a thesis. An anthropological reference book notes an age of 900-700,000 years for the specimen, making it Middle Pleistocene or late Early Pleistocene-aged.

Contrary to what Coppens originally thought, *Tchadanthropus* can not be linked to australopithecines, and was unconvincingly assigned *Homo erectus*. He describes clear alveolar prognathism that were very prominent, but appear to be caused by an artificial twist, likely due to ground pressure. It was first assigned to *Australopithecus*, which Coppens was sure were present in Chad and would be proven by Michel Brunet thirty years later. Coppens notes his idea of australopithecines in Chad was good, but the validity of his *Tchadanthropus* was not. The specimen has undeniable prognathism, large eyes and sinuses, the frontal leaks and there is a metopic suture.

Bernard Wood attributes the skull's australopithecine appearance to deformation over time, as it may have looked like a modern human, battered by sand and wind erosion. Some think it is a variant of *Homo habilis* or *Homo erectus*. Today, it is unknown what this hominin really is.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.charlesjvellaphd.com/A%20Brief%20Biographical%20&%20Historical%20Review%20of%20Paleoanthropology%20Final%20Part%20III.pdf
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/johnhawks/status/1453897834957266968
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.ina.fr/video/CAF97060347
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.pourlascience.fr/sd/prehistoire/lhistoire-de-lhumanite-racontee-par-les-fossiles-9449.php
5. ↑ Yves Coppens, 2018
6. ↑ https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2022/06/22/yves-coppens-visage-de-la-paleontologie-francaise-est-mort\_6131606\_1650684.html
7. ↑ Michel Servant, 1983, p.462-464
8. ↑ http://tchadberceauhumanite.monsite-orange.fr/page-55fec81b2c275.html
9. ↑ https://books.google.ca/books?id=frY5DQAAQBAJ&pg=PT47&lpg=PT47&dq=%22homo+uxoris%22&source=bl&ots=9v7Gr6kvYT&sig=ACfU3U2GXF-ZijPthKK3vnt-62xM\_add-Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiFy7Wwsd79AhU0lYkEHSPECv4Q6AF6BAgkEAM#v=onepage&q=%22homo%20uxoris%22&f=false
10. ↑ Bernard Wood, 2002, p.133
11. ↑ Cornevin, Robert (1967). *Histoire de l'Afrique*. Payotte. p. 440.
12. ↑ https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=p\_66%3A0387987428&field-isbn=0387987428
13. ↑ "Mikko's Phylogeny Archive". http://www.fmnh.helsinki.fi/users/haaramo/metazoa/Deuterostoma/Chordata/Synapsida/Eutheria/Primates/Hominoidea/Homo\_erectus.htm. Retrieved on 2007-01-12. (discontinued link)