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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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1523 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
SC 1864/H38A 8078 22 - SC R-I 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania "SC" (scree?) on North side, Tuff IID. -- In box with S1028/H38. Right maxillary I1. Note in box states "OH38 - L & R upper I1 - Theropithecus. (GS, REL, & ACW 1986). Found with the hominid OH38 left upper M2. SC on North side, Tuff IID." 2012/07/25 264 - Leakey family expedition Unknown Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Cercopithecoidea Cercopithecidae Cercopithecinae Papionini Theropithecus No
OLDUVAI 2-?12037 FU4 8142 R-RAD 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Jolly, C.J. 1965. Origins and specialization of the long-faced Cercopithecoidea. PhD thesis, University of London. Complete right radius. Card in bag states "Jolly assigns to papio". In BM loan collection. 2012/07/30 264 - Leakey family expedition Unknown Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Cercopithecoidea Cercopithecidae Cercopithecinae Papionini Papio No
M. 14563 206 18 - VEK R-FRO, R-HOR 1931 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) IV Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 273 - Reck expedition No Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Antilopinae Neotragini Phenacotragus recki This specimen was reclassified as Gazella wellsi by Gentry (1966) and later to Antidorcas recki by Gentry and Gentry (1978). No
FC West II 167 1195 29 - FC W R-MAN, d-P 104 - Unknown II Gentry, A. W., and Gentry, A. 1978. Fossil Bovidae (Mammalia) of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Part I. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 29:289-446. 137 - A. Gentry Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Antilopinae Neotragini No
FLK N I 6044 1524 7 - FLK North R-MAN-f 1960 104 - Unknown I 3 Gentry, A. W. 1966 Fossil Antilopini of East Africa. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History, Geology. 12: 43-106. 9 pls. 137 - A. Gentry 273 - Reck expedition Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Antilopinae Neotragini Phenacotragus recki No
B. 119 1525 7 - FLK North R-MAN-f 1960 104 - Unknown I Gentry, A. W. 1966 Fossil Antilopini of East Africa. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History, Geology. 12: 43-106. 9 pls. 137 - A. Gentry 273 - Reck expedition Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Antilopinae Neotragini Phenacotragus recki No
FLK N I Unknown Phenacotragus 1 1526 7 - FLK North R-HOR 104 - Unknown I 5 Gentry, A. W. 1966 Fossil Antilopini of East Africa. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History, Geology. 12: 43-106. 9 pls. This specimen is pictured in plate 7A. 273 - Reck expedition Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Antilopinae Neotragini Phenacotragus recki No
OH 7 3722 6 - FLK NN 283 - 45 MAN , L-PAR , R-PAR-f , M , OCC-f , L/R-TEM-f , PHX , CAR 1960 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I 3 On surface of clay immediately overlying Tuff IB. 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. Holotype. "Jonny's Child". Juvenile. Mandible with partial dentition and unerupted R/L-M3, almost complete left parietal and fragments of right parietal, left and right petrous portions (temporal) , "sundry small skull fragments ... [and] twenty-one bones of the hand, including the trapezium, scaphoid and a number of phalanges" (Leakey, MD, 1971:228). "One upper molar, a terminal phalanx, and a broken capitate bone, found on the surface, probably also belong to this individual" (:226). Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis Holotype No
OH 10 3725 7 - FLK North 283 - 45 R-PHX 1961 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I Upper (level 5) 3.5 feet below marker Tuff IF at top of Bed I Leakey MD. (1971) Olduvai Gorge, Vol. 3: excavations in Beds I & II 1960-1963. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Terminal first phalanx. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 154 - Leakey and Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini No
OH 12 3727 18 - VEK 286 - 86 OCC , L/R-PAR , L/R-TEM-f , CRA-f , L-PAL , L-MAX , TOOTH-f 1962 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania IV? a Surface. Found on eroded slope of Bed III. L-TEM-f from just below marker Tuff IVa. Leakey, L., and Leakey, M. 1964. Recent discoveries of fossil hominids in tanganyika: at Olduvai and near Lake Natron. Nature 202:5-7. Crowns of teeth not preserved. Bed IVA determined on basis of matrix adhering to L-TEM-f and PAL. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 264 - Leakey family expedition No L-TEM-f & PAL found with matrix adhering. Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo erectus No
OH 22 3737 73 - VEK/MNK R-MAN-f , R-P , R-M , R-I-f , R-C-f 1968 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania III/IV Surface, indeterminate gravel Leakey MD. (1971) Olduvai Gorge, Vol. 3: excavations in Beds I & II 1960-1963. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Right half of mandible with roots of I1-C and complete P3-M2. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo cf. erectus No
OH 27 3742 37 - HWK EE R-M 1969 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I 3 meters below Tuff IF Surface. Tobias, PV. 1991. The Skulls, endocasts and teeth of Homo habilis. Cambridge: University Press. Lower M3, unworn. "It is not possible to indicate more than broadly the original position of this tooth, since the clays above and below Tuff IF, as well as the Sandy Conglomerate, are all fossiliferous in this areaand yield mammalian teeth in a similar state of preservation to the hominid molar...the tooth was derived from either Upper Bed I or Lower Bed II" (Tobias, 1991:849). Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis No
OH 44 3759 5 - FLK R-M 1970 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I Zinjanthropus floor Surface. Leakey, M.D. 1978. Olduvai fossil hominids:their stratigraphic positions and associations. In: Jolly, CJ, editor. Early hominids of Africa. London:Duckworth. P. 3-16. Specimen is a crown of upper right M1. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 142 - M. D. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis No
OH 53 3768 19 - SHK R-FEM 1957 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania II Middle -- Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo No
OH 56 3771 24 - DK L-PAR-f 1976 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania I Lower -- Three conjoining parietal fragments in region of bregma. Specimen previously housed at National Museum of Kenya. 264 - Leakey family expedition Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Homo habilis No
OH 80 3796 10 - BK R/L-P , L-M , R/L-I , L-HUM-f , R-RAD-f , R-FEM-f , TIB-f 2009 122 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania II 4 Upper Domínguez-Rodrigo M, et al. 2013. First Partial Skeleton of a 1.34-Million-Year-Old Paranthropus boisei from Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. PLoS ONE 8(12): e80347. Distal portion of a left humerus diaphysis. Partial right radius with head, proximal metaphysis and partial diaphysis. Right partial femur, diaphysis in three refitting pieces. Tibia midshaft fragment assigned to OH 80 based on close "spatial association, comparable anatomical ruggedness and similar state of preservation to the other OH 80 postcranial fossils" (Dominiguez-Rodrigo et al., 2013). 292 - Proyecto Olduvai Yes Mammalia Primates Anthropoidea Haplorhini Hominoidea Hominidae Homininae Hominini Australopithecus boisei Anatomically modern No
M. 104050 12570 R-M 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- Right lower M3; OLD-366; (Last edit SC 2019) Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini cf. Hippotragini, cf. Oryx gazella Unknown
M 103946 12825 HOR-f 114 - Natural History Museum UK I -- OLD-708 Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas No
M 104152 13076 R-MAN, M (2) 114 - Natural History Museum UK -- OLD-1160; R-MAN with M2-M3 Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini No
OVPP-525 9896 R-MAN-f, P, M 126 - Mary Leakey Camp, Antiquities Station Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania Masek About 15m below top of sequence. -- Right mandible with P2-4, M1-2. Needs prep. 157 - L. Hlusko 2013/06/30 253 - OVPP No Y Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Bovinae Hippotragini No
OVPP-573 9946 MAN, R-P, L/R-M, L/R-I 126 - Mary Leakey Camp, Antiquities Station Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania I Lower Sandstone 15m above ignimbrite, below Tuff IA but not sure how far below. -- Almost complete mandible with right P2-M3, left M1-2, and LI3-RI3. Three pieces- A, B, and C. 157 - L. Hlusko 2013/06/30 253 - OVPP No Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Bovinae Hippotragini No
OVPP-736 10109 R-MAN-f, R-P 126 - Mary Leakey Camp, Antiquities Station Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania I Lower Eroded onto lag just below Tuff IA. -- Right mandible fragment with P4 and M1. 157 - L. Hlusko 2013/07/07 253 - OVPP No Y Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotragini No
53/282 137 FRO, L/R-HOR 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) II upper Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. 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 sp. No
F. 3662 068/5812 P.P.T.2 138 CRA-f, L-HOR, R-HOR-f 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) II Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. This specimen is pictured in plates 56 and 58. The adhering matrix suggests this specimen must come from above the Lemuta member. 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 Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas Holotype 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
F. 992 141 HOR-f 1941 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) IV Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. 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 No Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas No
M. 14564 144 HOR-f 1931 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) IV Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. This specimen is a fragment of a horn core. It was originally assigned to Hippotragus cf. niger by Leakey and later reassigned to D. niro by Gentry and Gentry (1978a). No locality information is provided. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus niger This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Damaliscus niro. No
M. 21450 145 10 - BK L-HOR-f 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) II Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus niger This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Damaliscus niro. No
F. 971 146 HOR-f 1941 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) IV Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. 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 No Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus niger This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Damaliscus niro. No
BK II 1953.067/5235 P.P.R. 2 147 10 - BK HOR-f 1953 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) II Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. The specimen had been extensively gnawed by a rodent prior to fossilization. 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 Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus niger This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Damaliscus niro. No
M. 14530 148 L-HOR-f 1932 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) I Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. 137 - A. Gentry 264 - Leakey family expedition No Matrix adhering suggests it may have come from Bed 2. Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus equinus This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Hippotragus gigas. No
M. 21449 149 R-HOR-f 1932 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) I or II Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. The label indicates Bed I but Bed II is written on the specimen and in the register according to the authors. 130 - L.S.B. Leakey 264 - Leakey family expedition No Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus equinus This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Hippotragus gigas. It may be a female H. gigas rather than a male H. equinus. No
BK II 1957.365 150 10 - BK R-FRO, R-HOR-f 1957 105 - National Museum and House of Culture, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (?) II Leakey LSB. 1965. Olduvai Gorge 1951-1961, Volume 1: Fauna and Background. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Author explicitly states this specimen was excavated but does not provide level. 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 equinus This specimen was reclassified by Gentry and Gentry (1978) as Damaliscus niro. No
M. 29424 838 L-HOR-f 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) Gentry, A. W., and Gentry, A. 1978. Fossil Bovidae (Mammalia) of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Part I. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 29:289-446. 137 - A. Gentry Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas No
M. 14541 839 HOR-f 1932 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) I Gentry, A. W., and Gentry, A. 1978. Fossil Bovidae (Mammalia) of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Part I. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 29:289-446. The specimen could possibly be in situ as it is described as being found "in" Bed I. 137 - A. Gentry Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas No
M. 14533 840 HOR-f 1932 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) I Gentry, A. W., and Gentry, A. 1978. Fossil Bovidae (Mammalia) of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Part I. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 29:289-446. The specimen could possibly be in situ as it is described as being found "in" Bed I. 137 - A. Gentry Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas No
FLK NN I 800 846 6 - FLK NN L-FEM, R-HUM, R-RAD, R-ULN, R-TIB, OCX, R-CAL, VER, RIB 1961 104 - Unknown I Gentry, A. W., and Gentry, A. 1978. Fossil Bovidae (Mammalia) of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Part I. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 29:289-446. This is from the same individual as FLK NN I 960. It is found slightly higher than the FLK NN I level, and is overlain by Tuff ID. 137 - A. Gentry Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas It has resemblance to Oryx but the authors suggest it resembles H. gigas. No
FLK NN I 960 847 6 - FLK NN R-MTC 104 - Unknown I Gentry, A. W., and Gentry, A. 1978. Fossil Bovidae (Mammalia) of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Part I. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 29:289-446. This is from the same individual as FLK NN I 800. 137 - A. Gentry Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Hippotragus gigas No
M. 14532 863 HOR-f, CRA-f 1932 106 - Natural History Museum UK (?) I Gentry, A. W., and Gentry, A. 1978. Fossil Bovidae (Mammalia) of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Part I. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 29:289-446. 137 - A. Gentry Unknown Mammalia Artiodactyla Ruminantia Bovoidea Bovidae Hippotraginae Hippotragini Oryx gazella No
BMNHM14135 9261 R-MTT 129 - National Natural History Museum, Naturalis, Leiden, The Netherlands (RMNH) I -- Right third metatarsal. 159 - R. Bernor Unknown Mammalia Perissodactyla Hippomorpha Equidae Equinae Hipparionini Eurygnathohippus Inventoried by Ray Bernor. Identified by Bernor as genus Eurygnathohippus. No