Early Hominin Evolution: Table of Early Hominins and Their Immediate Ancestors

	SPECIES		TIME RANGE (millions of years ago)
pre-hominin apes or ape-hominin transitional species	*Sahelanthropus tchadensis*		7 - 6 ?
	Orrorin tugenensis		6.0
	Ardipithecus Kadabba		5.8-5.2
	Ardipithecus ramidus		4.4
early hominins	gracile species	*Australopithecus anamensis*	4.2 - 3.9
		*Australopithecus afarensis*	3.7 - 3.0
		*Kenyanthropus platyops*	3.5 - 3.2
		*Australopithecus africanus*	3.3 - 2.5 ?
		*Australopithecus garhi*	2.5
	robust species	Australopithecus *aethiopicus*	*2.5*
		Australopithecus *robustus*	*2.0 - 1.4 ?*
		Australopithecus *boisei*	*2.4 - 1.4 ?*

The species listed above in red are controversial because of relatively limited discoveries
of their fossils and disagreement as to their classification. Those listed in black have
been found at many sites and now are widely accepted. Some researchers refer to the
robust australopithecines as paranthropoids (genus Paranthropus).