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IMPORTANT NOTE: We have maintained the originally published taxonomic designation for each specimen despite the fact that many of these specimens have been reclassified since.  We chose to follow this protocol because of the difficulty in keeping up to date with all of the taxonomic groups, and our hesitancy to make a judgement call on taxonomic debates.  As such, please search the database with this in mind, perhaps using higher level taxonomic classifications for your query.

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7924 specimens found
Image Spec # CODI Database ID Arch. Locality Geo. Locality Elements Preserved Excavation Date Repository Bed Level Stratigraphic Horizon Bibliographic Information Curatorial Notes ID By ID Date Research Team In Situ Sediment or Matrix Adhering Class Order Suborder Infraorder Superfamily Family Subfamily Tribe Genus Species Subspecies Taxonomic Notes Taxonomic Problems
6084 104 7 - FLK North C 104 - Unknown I upper 1 Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Two upper canines presumed to be female. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Artiodactyla Suiformes Suoidea Suidae Suinae Suini Promesochoerus mukiri Paratype No
1957.56 P.P.T.3 139 18 - VEK CRA-f, L/R-HOR 1957 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) I upper Upper Villafranchian Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. This specimen is pictured in plates 59 and 60. It is from a female. Original information indicated that this specimen was located in Nairobi. This specimen is likely within the material that was repatriated to Dar in 2011, but this has yet to be confirmed. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas Paratype No
M. 21446 179 L-HOR-f, CRA-f 1935 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) I Upper Villafranchian Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. This specimen is pictured in plate 80. Additional specimens have been found at FLK N I. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Alcelaphinae Alcelaphini Beatragus antiquus Paratype No
M. 14686 1349 R-MAN, R-P, R-M 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) II Hopwood, A. 1934. New fossil mammals from Olduvai, Tanganyika territory. Annals of the Magazine of Natural History. 10: 546-550. The author suggests this specimen is "probably" from Bed II. 293 - A.T. Hopwood Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Giraffoidea Giraffidae Helladotherium olduvaiensis Paratype No
M. 14687 1350 TIB-f, FEM-f, FIB-f 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) I Hopwood, A. 1934. New fossil mammals from Olduvai, Tanganyika territory. Annals of the Magazine of Natural History. 10: 546-550. This specimen is described as a "partial hind-limb". Whether it is a tibia, femur, or fibula is unknown. 293 - A.T. Hopwood Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Giraffoidea Giraffidae Helladotherium olduvaiensis Paratype No
OLD 1960 F200 3714 5 - FLK R-MAN-f, d-P, M 1960 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) I Harris, J. M., Solounias, N., and Geraads, D. 2010. Giraffoidea. Werdelin, L., Sanders, W. J., eds. In: Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. London: University of California Press. pp. 393-428. Original information indicated that this specimen was located in Nairobi. This specimen is likely within the material that was repatriated to Dar in 2011, but this has yet to be confirmed. 155 - Harris, Solounias, and Geraads 264 - Leakey family expedition Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Giraffoidea Giraffidae Giraffinae Giraffini Giraffa pygmaea Paratype No
OH 4 3720 8 - MK 281 - 11 P , M , MAN 1959 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I Lower Surface. Leakey, L.S.B., Tobias, P.V. & Napier, J.R. 1964. A new species of the genus Homo from Olduvai Gorge. Nature 202(4927): 7-9. Paratype. Two isolated teeth (lower molar and upper premolar) and one M3 in a mandible. Found in small block of consolidated tuff. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 282 - H. Mukiri 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis Paratype No
OH 8 3723 6 - FLK NN 283 - 45 PHX , CAR , TAR , CLA , AST , CAL , CUNE , CUB , NAV , M-f 1960 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I 3 Leakey MD. (1971) Olduvai Gorge, Vol. 3: excavations in Beds I & II 1960-1963. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. The molar-f was found on the surface and "probably also belongs to OH 8" (Leakey MD, 1971:228). Twelve associated foot bones including astragalus (has carnivore tooth marks (Leakey MD, 1971), calcaneus, cuboid and navicular, cuneiforms 1- 3, proximal ends with shafts, five metatarsals. Proximal ends of one metacarpal and three finger phalanges. One radius shaft. Clavicle with damaged articular ends. Foot articulates "almost perfectly with the OH 35 leg" (Susman, 1983:372). 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis Paratype No
OH 13 3728 27 - MNK 287 - 88 "Skull Site" MAN , MAX , CRA-f 1963 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania II Lower Middle IIB 5 feet above chert horizon Paratpye. "This consists of a sub-adult skull, probably female, with the third molars coming into wear. It is represented by the greater part of the mandible, including the complete dentition, although the crowns of the incisors are damaged and the left ascending ram us is not preserved; the greater part of the maxillae, represented by two fragments both lacking the anterior portions; the greater part of the occipital; the right parietal and temporal; parts of the left parietal and temporal; together with a few frontal fragments and approximately fifty additional pieces which it has not been possible to fit together" (Leakey MD, 1971:231). Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 5 pieces found at House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis Paratype No
M 103977 12527 HOR 114 - Natural History Museum UK II -- OLD-264 Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Alcelaphinae Alcelaphini Parmularius P. angusticornis or P. altidens Unknown
OLD-1924 13238 UK-f 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- OLD-1924; egg fragment? Unknown ostrich egg? Unknown
OVPP-Erinaceus 94 1944 7 - FLK North MAX-f, P, M 104 - Unknown I upper 3 Butler, P., and Greenwood, M. 1973. The early Pleistocene hedgehogs from Olduvai, Tanzania. Fossil vertebrates of Africa 3:7-42. 150 - Butler and Greenwood Unknown Mammalia Lipotyphya Erinaceoidea Erinaceidae Erinaceinae Erinaceus broomi Order has more recently been determined as Insectivora No
OVPP-Soricidae 3 3853 24 - DK MAN I 1 Butler, P., and Greenwood, M. 1979. Soricidae (Mammalia) from the Early Pleistocene of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 67:329-379. Broken left mandible with some worn teeth. 150 - Butler and Greenwood Unknown Mammalia Insectivora Soricoidea Soricidae One of five specimens of indeterminant species of Soricidae from Olduvai. Authors state that there appears to be three different species represented in the indeterminant specimens. This specimen is described as Species III. No
OVPP-Soricidae 1 3851 7 - FLK North L-MAN I 2 Butler, P., and Greenwood, M. 1979. Soricidae (Mammalia) from the Early Pleistocene of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 67:329-379. Authors describe specimen as "left mandibular ramus with P4-M2 moderately worn, and with the roots of I1, I2, and M3. 150 - Butler and Greenwood Unknown Mammalia Insectivora Soricoidea Soricidae One of five specimens of indeterminant species of Soricidae from Olduvai. Authors state that there appears to be three different species represented in the indeterminant specimens. This specimen is described as Species I. No
OH 78 3793 10 - BK H-f 2007 127 - National Natural History Museum, Arusha, Tanzania II Lower-Middle? Surface. OLAPP/Earthwatch”Discovered by an Earthwatch project led by F.T. Masao in 2003 and 2004, respectively, and will be described elsewhere.” -R. Clarke (2011) Humerus shaft, subaerial weathering. No Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Australopithecus africanus OH 75-like No
OH 70 3785 80 - MCK L-M-f 2002 127 - National Natural History Museum, Arusha, Tanzania II Lower Distrobuccal portion of upper M1 crown. Specimen is pictured on bottom right of image 1. Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Australopithecus africanus OH 24-like No
OH 68 3783 18 - VEK Mand-f, R-P-f 2001 127 - National Natural History Museum, Arusha, Tanzania II Lower Mandible fragment with unerupted P4 and root of M1. Specimen is pictured in the middle in image 1. Specimen is shown in the middle of the top row in image 2. Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Australopithecus africanus OH 13-like No
M 104204 12783 R-M 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- OLD-657; right upper M3 Unknown none listed Yes
M. 21447 181 23 - TK CRA, L/R-MAX-f, L-HOR, L/R-P, L/R-M, L/R-I 1931 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) III, IV 4 feet below Masek Beds Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. This neotype specimen is pictured in plates 81 and 82. The original holotype of M. kattwinkelli (VI-1099) was lost in WWII in Munich. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Alcelaphinae Alcelaphini Xenocephalus kattwinkelli Neotype - This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Megalotragus kattwinkeli. No
OLD-128 12419 M -- OLD-128 Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Hippopotamidae needs verification Yes
OLD-155 12446 CUBNAV 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- OLD-155 Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Ceratomorpha Tapiromorpha Rhinocerotoidea Rhinocerotidae maybe Equid Unknown
II-40 3914 R-MAN Gentry, A., Gentry, A., and Mayr, H. 1995. Rediscovery of fossil antelope holotypes (Mammalia, Bovidae) collected from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, in 1913. Bayerische Staatssammlung fur Palaontologie und Right mandible with P3 to M1 Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Antilopinae Antilopini Gazella gazella praecursor Listed as a paratype of G. g. praecursor. Was not listed in Schwarz (1937) did not list it as a paratype and its status is no different from that of the hypodigm of the species. "It is certainly not an antilopine bovid, but little more can be surmised about the identity." No
II-40 7675 Gentry, A., Gentry, A., and Mayr, H. 1995. Rediscovery of fossil antelope holotypes (Mammalia, Bovidae) collected from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, in 1913. Bayerische Staatssammlung fur Palaontologie und Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Antilopinae Antilopini Gazella gazella praecursor Listed as a paratype of G. g. praecursor. Was not listed in Schwarz (1937) did not list it as a paratype and its status is no different from that of the hypodigm of the species. "It is certainly not an antilopine bovid, but little more can be surmised about the identity." No
OH 16 3731 72 - FLK Maiko Gully 283 - 45 CRA-f , TOOTH , MAN , 1963 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania II base Leakey MD. (1971) Olduvai Gorge, Vol. 3: excavations in Beds I & II 1960-1963. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Upper and lower dentition, calotte, and > 1500 unidentified fragments due to cattle trampling. Majority of fragments found on surface of Tuff IF, some teeth found in situ, 2 feet above Tuff IF. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 154 - Leakey and Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis Leakey LSB, 1964 refers to this specimen as Homo erectus. Leakey, Tobias, and Napier provisionally assign it to Homo habilis (referred material, not paratype) (1964), and Leakey MD, 1971 refers to it as cf. Australopithecus. Yes
OLD-51 12683 PHX 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- OLD-51; pedal bone Unknown Mammalia large mammal No
OLD-1887 13215 PVG-f 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- OLD-1887; os coxae-f Unknown Mammalia large mammal Unknown
OLD-119 12409 CRA-f 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- OLD-119; based on note with specimen, may not be from Olduvai Unknown Mammalia large mammal Yes
OH 65 3780 82 - 64 MAX , TOOTH 1995 127 - National Natural History Museum, Arusha, Tanzania I Middle/Upper Blumenschine, R. J., Peters, C. R., Masao, F. T., et al. 2003. Late Pliocene Homo and Hominid Land Use from Western Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Science 299, 1217-1221. Author describes specimen as "complete maxilla with all teeth and lower face of adult". Specimen is pictured in images 1-11. (Images from R. Clarke 2011). Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis Large habilis No
067/1984 8156 89 - HWK E (?) TOOTH 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania -- Tooth. Pleistocene. Olduvai. Label in bag with specimen states "Not primate, try carnivore". other label in bag states "III/1/2 HWK E. I OLD62". 2012/07/30 264 - Leakey family expedition Unknown Mammalia Label in bag with specimen states "Not primate, try carnivore". No
OH 25 3740 268 - 54 L-PAR-f 1968 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania IV a Surface Leakey MD. (1971) Olduvai Gorge, Vol. 3: excavations in Beds I & II 1960-1963. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Left parietal fragment ca. asterion. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 142 - M. D. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Juvenile. No
OH 14 3729 27 - MNK 287 - 88 "Skull Site" CRA-f , FRO-f , R-PAR-f 1963 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania II Lower Middle B Surface. Inferred as same horizon as OH 13 (Leakey MD, 1971). Leakey, L.S.B., Tobias, P.V. & Napier, J.R. 1964. A new species of the genus Homo from Olduvai Gorge. Nature 202(4927): 7-9. Juvenile (sutures unfused). Thin skull. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 11 pieces found at House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Juvenile, parietal is thin. No
OVPP-Suncus 1 10 7 - FLK North UK 104 - Unknown I upper 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Several specimens found in all layers of FLK N I. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Insectivora Soricoidea Soricidae Crocidurinae Suncus sp. It resembles S. gracilis but has features distinguishing it as its own species. No
RMNH2437 9455 MTC 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- Third metacarpal. 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No
RMNH2481 9456 MTT 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- Third metatarsal. 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No
RMNH254 9457 RAD 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No
RMNH2541 9458 AST 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No
RMNH2560 9459 MTT 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- Third metatarsal. 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No
RMNH26 9460 AST 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No
RMNH264 9461 FEM 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No
RMNH268 9462 HUM 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) -- 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No