Late Miocene fossil hominid teeth recovered from Ethiopia's Middle Awash are assigned to
Ardipithecus kadabba
. Their primitive morphology and wear pattern demonstrate that
A. kadabba
is distinct from
Ardipithecus ramidus
. These fossils suggest that the last common ancestor of apes and humans had a functionally honing canine–third premolar complex. Comparison with teeth of
Sahelanthropus
and
Orrorin
, the two other named late Miocene hominid genera, implies that these putative taxa are very similar to
A. kadabba
. It is therefore premature to posit extensive late Miocene hominid diversity on the basis of currently available samples.