Australopithecus deyiremeda

A long time ago, a new relative lived.

They lived in a place with grass and trees. This relative had small teeth. They also had strong jaws.

Their feet might have been good at grabbing. They lived near a lake or a river. They lived at the same time as other relatives. They might have eaten different foods to stay healthy. We found their old jawbones in the dirt.

Scientists found fossils of a new relative. Its name is Australopithecus deyiremeda. This species lived in Ethiopia about 3.5 to 3.3 million years ago.

We know them from three jawbone fossils. Their cheekbones face forward. Their cheek teeth are quite small. One molar was the smallest seen in that time. Their jaws were still very strong. They had thick enamel to protect their teeth. This helped them eat tough plants like sedges.

Researchers also found a partial foot. It may belong to this species. This foot had a big toe that could grasp. This is different from most other early relatives. It might help them move through trees.

These relatives lived in a mixed home. They had open grasslands and forests near water. They lived at the same time as Australopithecus afarensis. They might have eaten different foods to avoid fighting. This is called niche partitioning. It helps different groups live in one place. Some experts think they might have used stone tools. These tools were made by hitting rocks with other stones.

Australopithecus deyiremeda was a type of early relative of humans. This species lived in the Afar Region of Ethiopia. They lived during the Pliocene era about 3.5 to 3.3 million years ago.

Scientists study these fossils to understand how early life changed over time. These creatures lived in a mixed home called a mosaic environment. This area had wide, open grasslands and also forests near lakes or rivers.

This variety of land allowed many different animals to live there together.

We know about this species mostly from three partial jawbones. These fossils show us how their faces looked. Their cheekbones faced more forward than other famous relatives like A. afarensis. Their cheek teeth were also quite small. In fact, one molar was the smallest found for any adult from that time.

Even though the teeth were small, the jaws were very strong. They also had thick enamel, which is the hard outer layer of a tooth. This helped them eat tough plants like sedges.

Their teeth also show marks from times when they might have been sick or hungry.

A scientist named Yohannes Haile-Selassie first described this species in 2015. He worked with a team of other researchers. They found the jawbone fossils in the Burtele and Waytaleyta areas. One important piece was found on March 4, 2011, by a local resident named Mohammed Barao.

Another fossil hunter named Ato Alemayehu Asfaw found other important pieces. The name deyiremeda comes from the Afar language. It means "close relative" because these fossils are related to later species.

This name helps us see how they fit into the family tree.

Researchers also found a partial foot fossil from the Burtele area. This foot was found in 2012 and is about 3.4 million years old.

It is very special because it has a big toe that can grasp. This is different from most other early human relatives. In 2025, new evidence suggested this foot likely belongs to A. deyiremeda.

Having a grasping toe might have helped them move through trees. It shows they had a different way of moving than some other species.

These relatives lived at the same time as A. afarensis. They might have used a trick called niche partitioning to live together. This means they may have eaten different foods to avoid competing. For example, they might eat different things when food is hard to find.

Some experts even think they might have used stone tools. These tools were made by hitting rocks like basalt with a hammerstone.

This shows that even very long ago, life was becoming more complex.

Australopithecus deyiremeda is an extinct species of early hominin. This term refers to the group of ancestors that lived in Africa. They lived during the Middle Pliocene epoch. This was approximately 3.5 to 3.3 million years ago. They lived in the Woranso–Mille area of the Afar Region in Ethiopia. Scientists study these fossils to understand the diversity of early human relatives. Knowing about this species helps us see how many different types of hominins lived at the same time.

Researchers identify this species through specific anatomical features. The jaw of A. deyiremeda shows a degree of prognathism. This means the jaw juts forward at about a 39-degree angle. Their cheekbones are positioned more forward than those of A. afarensis. The walls of the cheek teeth are also inclined rather than straight. This dental structure is similar to the robust Paranthropus genus. However, A. deyiremeda lacks the enlarged molars found in Paranthropus. Their first molar is the smallest recorded for an adult Pliocene hominin.

Evidence from fossils also provides clues about their physical movement. A partial foot specimen, known as BRT-VP-2/73, was recovered from Burtele in 2012. This fossil is roughly 3.4 million years old. It features a dextrous big toe. This means the toe could grasp objects, much like the earlier Ardipithecus ramidus. In 2025, new research suggested this foot belongs to A. deyiremeda. This suggests the species had a greater ability for grasping than most other fossil hominins. Such a trait might have aided movement in forested areas.

The discovery of A. deyiremeda involved several key people and locations. Ethiopian paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie and his colleagues first proposed the species in 2015. They used jawbone fossils from the Burtele and Waytaleyta areas. The holotype specimen was found on March 4, 2011. A local resident named Mohammed Barao discovered this important piece. Other paratype specimens were found by the Ethiopian fossil hunter Ato Alemayehu Asfaw. The name deyiremeda comes from the Afar language. It translates to "close relative" because of its relationship to later australopiths.

We can learn about their diet by looking at their teeth and environment. A. deyiremeda had thick enamel on their teeth. This is the hard outer layer that protects the tooth. Thick enamel is consistent with eating tough foods like sedges. Some teeth show hypoplasia. This refers to marks caused by malnutrition or illness during infancy. Their diet likely relied on C3 foods. These are plants like trees or shrubs. This diet is similar to the earlier A. anamensis.

The environment of the Middle Pliocene was a mosaic landscape. This means it was a mix of different habitats. There were open grasslands and also forests near lakes or rivers. This area supported many animals. For example, impalas, elephants, and giraffes lived there. Some animals were grazers that ate grass. Others were browsers that ate leaves from trees. A. deyiremeda lived alongside A. afarensis in this same area. They may have used niche partitioning to survive. This is a process where species use different resources to avoid competition.

Some scientists suggest A. deyiremeda might have used stone tools. Anthropologist Fred Spoor noted similarities between A. deyiremeda and the Lomekwi stone-tool industry. This industry is found in northern Kenya and dates to 3.3 million years ago. It is considered the earliest known tool culture. These early makers used a hammerstone to flake pieces off cores. They used materials like basalt and phonolite. If A. deyiremeda used these tools, it would change how we view their complexity. This connects the species to the broader development of technology in human history.