<i>Sahelanthropus</i>

Sahelanthropus tchadensis is a Late Miocene fossil species that is possibly the earliest known hominin. Fossils of Sahelanthropus were collected in 2001 and 2002 by a team led by Michel Brunet at the site of Toros‐Menalla located in the Djurab Desert of northern Chad. Only cranial and dental fossils have been discovered so far. The best‐preserved specimen, the “Toumaï” cranium (TM 266‐01‐060‐01), exhibits some features that fall intermediate between extant African apes and australopithecines. It appears to lack an apelike canine cutting complex and some aspects of the cranial base might indicate bipedal locomotion in this species. Nevertheless, due to distortion of the Toumaï cranium, the lack of postcranial remains, and some anatomical similarities to nonhominin Miocene apes, the hominin status of Sahelanthropus remains contentious.