Skull KNM-ER 1813

KNM-ER 1813, Homo habilis

Discovered by Kamoya Kimeu in 1973 at Koobi Fora in Kenya (Leakey, 1974). This specimen is similar to 1470, but is much smaller, with a brain size of 510 cc. Estimated age is 1.8-1.9 million years.

This skull's brainsize of 510 cc is very small, smaller than the 600 cc which used to be considered the lower limit of the genus Homo. It is probably a skull of a female, but its teeth show that it was fully grown. It closely resembles fossils OH 13 and OH 24 and probably belongs to the same species as them. Most scientists now think that that it does not belong to the same species as ER 1470, which has a differently sized and shaped face among other differences.

Apart from its extremely small size, ER 1813 is surprisingly modern, with a rounded skull, no sagittal crest, modest eyebrow ridges, and a small amount of nasal prominence.

Creationists almost totally ignore the existence of this fossil (Lubenow briefly mentions it without describing it). However it is safe to say that all creationists would classify it as an ape; its brain size of 510 cc is far too small to be considered human (or so I used to think, but Line (2005) suggests that it might be human).

Compare ER 1813 with ER 1470

Creationist arguments about Homo habilis

This page is part of the Fossil Hominids FAQ at the talk.origins Archive.