Sahelanthropus

Sahelanthropus tchadensis; "Toumaï"; Temporal range: Messinian,
	Cast of the skull of Toumaï
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hominidae
Genus:	†Sahelanthropus; Brunet et al., 2002
Species:	†S. tchadensis
Binomial name
	†Sahelanthropus tchadensis; Brunet et al., 2002

Sahelanthropus is an extinct genus of hominid dated to about 7 million years ago during the Late Miocene. The type species, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, was first announced in 2002, based mainly on a partial cranium, nicknamed Toumaï, discovered in northern Chad.

The definitive phylogenetic position of Sahelanthropus within hominids is uncertain. It was initially described as a possible hominin ancestral to both humans and chimpanzees, but subsequent interpretations suggest that it could be an early member of the tribe Gorillini or a stem-hominid outside the hominins. Examinations on the postcranial skeleton of Sahelanthropus also indicated that this taxon was not a habitual biped.

^ ^a ^b Brunet, M.; Guy, F.; Pilbeam, D.; et al. (2002). "A new hominid from the Upper Miocene of Chad, Central Africa" (PDF). Nature. 418 (6894): 145–151. Bibcode:2002Natur.418..145B. doi:10.1038/nature00879. PMID 12110880. S2CID 1316969.

[Brunet2002-1] Brunet, M.; Guy, F.; Pilbeam, D.; et al. (2002). "A new hominid from the Upper Miocene of Chad, Central Africa" (PDF). Nature. 418 (6894): 145–151. Bibcode:2002Natur.418..145B. doi:10.1038/nature00879. PMID 12110880. S2CID 1316969.

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