Genus: Sahelanthropus (Walking Upright)

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Genus: Sahelanthropus (Walking Upright)

By Michael Alan Prestwood

Thu 8 Jul 2021

Published 5 years ago.

Updated 2 months ago.

Genus: Sahelanthropus (Walking Upright)

7 Million BCE

Partial bipedal posture + visual reorientation

260,000 Generations Ago

CHLCA candidate: Often considered one of the earliest potential hominins, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, best known from the “Toumai” skull found in Chad, exhibits features that suggest bipedalism but remains debated due to limited fossil evidence. With two human anatomical traits, small canine teeth, and a spinal cord hole in the cranium further forward (on the underside of the cranium), it is possible that they are the fist of our ancestors to walk upright. If not, they likely had an intermediate stride.

Survival: From about 7 to 6 MYA in Central Africa (a densely wooded rain forest at the time)
Size: 4′ to 4’6″ (a little taller than modern chimpanzees)
Brain Size: around 320 to 380 cm³ (speculative)
Brain to Body EQ: Unknown, but like similar to chimpanzees at 2.2 to 2.5 (humans=7.4 to 7.8)

Primary Timeline…

Perhaps the first species below represents Sahelanthropus tchadensis:

— map / TST —

Michael Alan Prestwood
Author & Natural Philosopher

Prestwood writes on science-first philosophy, with particular attention to the convergence of disciplines. Drawing on his TST Framework, his work emphasizes rational inquiry grounded in empirical observation while engaging questions at the edges of established knowledge. With TouchstoneTruth positioned as a living touchstone, this work aims to contribute reliable, evolving analysis in an emerging AI era where the credibility of information is increasingly contested.