18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1.5-Million-year-old Footprints have Revealed the Co-Existence of two Ancient Human Species in Kenya

Thanks to a set of preserved footprints on the ancient shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya, researchers have uncovered the coexistence of two ancient human species more than a million years ago.

Estimated to be 1.5 million years old, fossilized footprints offer the first verifiable proof that Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, two different hominin species, coexisted in the same habitat. In addition to confirming that these species coexisted, scientists say this discovery provides a unique window into how they interacted and competed in their environment.

The more recent term “hominin” refers to a subgroup of the broader group known as hominids. All living and extinct species regarded as belonging to the human lineage that developed following the split from the great apes’ ancestors are referred to as hominins. This is thought to have happened between six and seven million years ago.

In July 2021, researchers uncovered a hominin footprint alongside tracks made by other animals, such as large birds. A more detailed excavation in 2022 revealed a 12-print trackway and three isolated footprints, along with 94 nonhuman tracks from ancient birds and hoofed animals in Koobi Fora.

Craig Feibel, an author of the study and a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Department of Anthropology in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences., used his expertise in stratigraphy and dating to establish that these footprints were formed 1.5 million years ago.

The footprints belong to two species from the Pleistocene: Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei. Although they were both bipedal and walked upright, they differed greatly in anatomy, indicating different behavioral and movement patterns.

A footprint hypothesized to have been created by a Paranthropus boisei individual. Image Credit: Kevin Hatala/Chatham University
A footprint hypothesized to have been created by a Paranthropus boisei individual. Image Credit: Kevin Hatala/Chatham University

 He also determined that both sets of footprints were made within a few hours of each other, in soft sediments near the lake. While it is not possible to confirm if the two hominin groups interacted directly, it is clear that they shared the same habitat in a brief time interval.

Kevin Hatala, a biology professor at Chatham University, explained that the footprints were preserved in a “perfect zone of mud” near the lake’s edge, ensuring their survival under layers of fine sediment. “It’s hard to say exactly what they were doing,” he noted, “but they walked in the perfect area for their footprints to be made, which is very lucky for us.”

The species that left the footprints was determined by the researchers using comparative analysis and sophisticated 3D imaging. It was determined that Paranthropus boisei was responsible for the trackway of 12 prints, which featured a slightly spread big toe and a deeper forefoot strike. The three isolated footprints, on the other hand, were associated with Homo erectus because they showed a heel-to-toe motion resembling that of modern humans.

The footprints suggest that these species, with their differing diets and anatomical features, utilized the same habitat, possibly even crossing paths. Hatala emphasized that Paranthropus boisei, known for its robust jaws and plant-based diet, differed greatly from Homo erectus, which had a more human-like body and omnivorous diet.

The footprints are significant, Feibel said, because they fall into the category of “trace fossils” – which can include footprints, nests and burrows. Trace fossils are not part of an organism but offer evidence of behavior. Body fossils, such as bones and teeth, are evidence of past life, but are easily moved by water or a predator. Trace fossils cannot be moved, Feibel said.

A trackway of footprints hypothesized to have been created by a Paranthropus boisei individual. Image Credit: Neil Roach
A trackway of footprints hypothesized to have been created by a Paranthropus boisei individual. Image Credit: Neil Roach

A new understanding of early human evolution is provided by this discovery, which is the first tangible proof of direct coexistence between two hominin species. By suggesting intricate relationships that influenced their survival and adaptation, the findings cast doubt on the notion that hominin species avoided one another.

In addition to offering concrete proof of the coexistence of two hominin species, this discovery poses fascinating queries regarding their interactions in terms of culture and reproduction. Paranthropus boisei went extinct within a few hundred thousand years, while Homo erectus survived for another million years. The reasons behind this divergence in evolutionary fates are still unknown to scientists.

The findings of the study are published in the journal Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.ado5275

Rutgers University

Cover Image Credit: A 3D computerized model of the surface of the area near Lake Turkana in Kenya shows fossil footprints of Paranthropus boisei (vertical footprints) with separate footprints of Homo erectus forming a perpendicular path. Image Credit: Kevin Hatala/Chatham University

Related Articles

Tragurium Twins: A Rare Roman Archaeological Discovery in Croatia

12 March 2025

12 March 2025

Recent archaeological excavations in Croatia have unearthed a remarkable and heart-wrenching discovery: the remains of twin babies interred together in...

The world’s oldest wine discovered in liquid form was found in a Roman tomb in Spain

18 June 2024

18 June 2024

Archaeologists discovered an urn with a reddish liquid in a family mausoleum dating to the 1st century AD in the...

Japan Researchers Uncover Lost Villa Believed to Belong to First Roman Emperor

19 April 2024

19 April 2024

Researchers from the University of Tokyo have discovered a nearly 2,000-year-old building at a site with ancient Roman ruins buried...

Bronze Age Ceremonial Sword Found in Håre in Vestfyn will be on Display Soon

13 March 2021

13 March 2021

Archaeologists excavating the village of Håre on the island of Funen in Denmark have discovered an ornate Bronze Age sword...

Funerary urn depicting Maya corn god uncovered during Maya Train work

10 January 2024

10 January 2024

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) conducting salvage work along section 7 of the Maya Train...

Researchers explored a rock art site near Idupulapaya in India

1 October 2021

1 October 2021

A rock art site was discovered near Idupulapaya in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rock paintings from the Megalithic...

Remarkably Preserved Bronze Age Urns, Thousands of Years Old, Unearthed in Germany

13 May 2025

13 May 2025

What appeared to be an ordinary stretch of County Road 17 between the towns of Moisburg and Immenbeck has turned...

Archaeologists find Viking Age shipyard in Swedish island

15 June 2022

15 June 2022

Archaeologists from Stockholm University have discovered a Viking Age shipyard at Birka on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren,...

Scientists Use Artificial İntelligence to Study Ancient Australian Rock Art

1 April 2021

1 April 2021

Rock art is the oldest surviving human art form. Throughout Australia, petroglyphs are part of the life and customs of...

Archeologists discovered a treasure trove at the bottom of an ancient Roman bathhouse drain near Hadrian’s Wall

1 February 2023

1 February 2023

Archeologists in Carlisle, England, discovered a treasure trove at the bottom of the drain system of an ancient Roman bathhouse...

Ancient objects found in Jerusalem could be hand grenades used 1000 years ago, New study says

27 April 2022

27 April 2022

New analysis into the residue inside ancient ceramic pots from 11th–12th century Jerusalem has found that they were potentially used...

The excavation, which started in a cave in Turkey’s Mardin, turned into a huge underground city

19 April 2022

19 April 2022

In an underground city known used as a settlement in the early Christian era, in the Midyat district of Mardin,...

3 Bronze Shields and Helmet of 2700 Years Old Belonging to Urartians Found in Ayanis Castle

8 September 2024

8 September 2024

Three bronze shields and a bronze helmet dedicated to Haldi, the chief god of the Urartians, were discovered during excavations...

The Latest Surprises Revealed by Investigations Inside the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano

24 July 2024

24 July 2024

The latest surprise revealed by investigations at the Tomb of Cerberus in Giugliano: The remains of a corpse covered with...

Oldest footprints of pre-humans identified in Crete

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

Six million-year-old fossilized footprints on the island show the human foot had begun to develop. The oldest known footprints of...