Ardipithecus ramidus Fossils Recovered at Aramis

Between 1992 and 1994, a team led by Tim White, Gen Suwa, and Berhane Asfaw recovered hominin fossils from Aramis in Ethiopia's Middle Awash region. Named Ardipithecus ramidus in 1994, the species dates to 4.4 million years ago. The partial skeleton 'Ardi,' found by student Yohannes Haile-Selassie, revealed a mosaic of traits: a grasping big toe for tree climbing combined with a pelvis suggesting facultative bipedalism. The findings challenged assumptions that bipedalism evolved in savanna environments.