'Kamoya Kimeu', (born c.
1940) is one of the world's most successful fossil collectors who, together with
paleontologists Meave Leakey and
Richard Leakey, is responsible for some of the most significant archaeological discoveries. Kimeu found a ''
Homo habilis'' skull known as
KNM ER 1813, and an almost complete ''
Homo erectus'' skeleton named KNM-WT 15000 or
Turkana Boy (also known as Nariokotome boy). He has two fossil primates named after him: ''
Kamoyapithecus hamiltoni'' and ''
Cercopithecoides kimeui''.
Kimeu began to work in
paleoanthropology as a laborer for
Louis Leakey and
Mary Leakey in the 1950s. In 1963 he joined with Richard Leakey's expeditions, accompanying him to the
Omo River and Lake Rudolf (now
Lake Turkana) in 1967. He quickly became Richard Leakey's right-hand man, assuming control of field operations in Leakey's absence. In 1977 he became the
National Museums of Kenya's curator for all
prehistoric sites in Kenya.
References
★
Paleoanthropologist Profiles
★
A list of fossils found at Lake Turkana
★
Footsteps through time - San Diego Museum of Man
See Also
★
List of fossil sites ''(with link directory)''
★
List of hominina (hominid) fossils ''(with images)''