SOUTH African scientists claim to have uncovered the most complete skeleton yet of an ancient relative of man, hidden in a rock excavated from an archaeological site three years ago.
The remains of a juvenile hominid skeleton, of the newly identified Australopithecus (southern ape) sediba species, are the "most complete early human ancestor skeleton ever discovered", University of Witwatersrand palaeontologist Lee Berger said.
The skeleton is thought to be about 2 million years old.
The upright-walking tree climber would have been aged between nine and 13 years when he or she died.
"We have discovered parts of a jaw and critical aspects of the body including what appear to be a complete femur [thigh bone], ribs, vertebrae and other important limb elements, some never before seen in such completeness in the human fossil record," said Professor Berger, a lead professor in the finding.
Read more at the Sydney Morning Herald