Sahelanthropus tchadensis is an extinct species of hominid dated to about 7 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. The species, and its genus Sahelanthropus, was announced in 2002, based mainly on a partial cranium, nicknamed Toumaï, discovered in northern Chad.
Sahelanthropus
Michel Brunet (right) and Ahounta Djimdoumalbaye look at the reconstructed Sahelanthropus tchadensis skull in N'Djamena (Chad) in the premises of the National Research Support Center.
Toumaï skull from different angles
The Hominidae, whose members are known as the great apes or hominids, are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: Pongo ; Gorilla ; Pan ; and Homo, of which only modern humans remain.
Hominidae
Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii)
Humans are one of the four extant hominid genera.
A fossil hominid exhibit at The Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma