Re: Height of Turkana Boy?

Jim Foley (jimf@vangelis.FtCollins.NCR.com)
8 Nov 1995 20:24:56 GMT

In article <47pm58$h0o@due.unit.no>, Mithrandir <jeo@stud.unit.no> wrote:

>I've just started reading Leakey's Origins Reconsidered.
>He states that the Turkana Boy died at an age of 12 and was
>between 5 feet 6 and 5 feet 8 tall. He then conclude that an
>adult "Turkana Man" would be above 6 feet (quite tall). I was
>wondering: Couldn't it be that the species were fully grown
>by the age of 12? To me it seems natural that more 'primitive'
>species go through childhood and youth faster than Homo Sapiens.

In the massive tome Walker and Leakey edited on WT 15000, the height at
death is given as 5'3", down from most earlier estimates, which were
between 5'4" and 5'6". But they still estimate the probable adult
height at 6'1". I think that was using modern formulae though; you
might have to subtract an inch off that because of his flat head!

--







Jim (Chris) Foley,                 jim.foley@symbios.com

Assoc. Prof. of Omphalic Envy      Research interest:

Department of Anthropology         Primitive hominids

University of Ediacara             (Australopithecus creationistii)