The oldest known hominin species is Sahelanthropus tchadensis who lived around 7 million to 6 million years ago in West Central Africa "Chad".
Sahelanthropus tchadensis exhibits a mix of ape like and human like features, which suggest that Sahelanthropus tchadensis may have been an early bipedal ancestor.
Fossil evidence places Sahelanthropus tchadensis between 7 and 6 million years ago, making it the earliest known hominin species.
The location of the foramen magnum (the opening where the spinal cord connects to the skull) suggests that Sahelanthropus tchadensis walked upright, a key characteristic of hominins.
Sahelanthropus tchadensis, had a smaller brain size than modern humans, and it is also possessed features such as small canine teeth and a short middle face, which are also more human like.
Another hominin species that was found is Lucy the first human and early human ancestor is an extinct hominin species which lived between 3.8 million to 2.9 million years ago and is classified as Australopithecus afarensis.
Lucy who was a famous early human ancestor was around 3.5 feet tall and was a member of the species of Australopithecus afarensis.
Lucy the famous early human ancestors remains were discovered in Ethiopia in 1974.
Lucy the first human and early human ancestor is an extinct hominin species which lived between 3.8 million to 2.9 million years ago and is classified as Australopithecus afarensis.
The fossils of Lucy were found in Hadar, Ethiopia, by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and his team and she weighed around 60 lbs.
The skeletal structure of Lucy, most particularly her femurs and hips, indicates that Lucy walked upright on 2 legs like us modern humans do.
And although Lucy, the first human was bipedal, Lucy also possessed features which suggest that she was also able to climb up trees.
Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct species of australopithecine which lived from about 3.9–2.9 million years ago in the Pliocene of East Africa.
The first fossils of Australopithecus afarensis were discovered in the 1930s, but major fossil finds would not take place until the 1970s.