Orrorin, also known as the "Millennium Man," is an extinct genus of hominin that lived approximately 6 million years ago during the late Miocene epoch. The genus was first discovered in 2000 at the Tugen Hills in Kenya by a team led by French paleontologists Brigitte Senut and Martin Pickford.
The remains of Orrorin were found in the Lukeino Formation in the Tugen Hills. The name "Orrorin" comes from the Tugen language, meaning "original man." The fossilized remains include fragments of jaw, teeth, and limb bones which provided significant insights into the early stages of human evolution.
Orrorin is significant because it potentially represents one of the earliest known hominins to exhibit bipedalism, a key characteristic in human evolution. This suggests that bipedalism might have developed before the divergence of the Pan (chimpanzee) and Hominini (human) lineages, pushing back the timeline for this evolutionary trait.
The classification of Orrorin as a hominin and its role in human evolution has been subject to debate:
The Tugen Hills, where Orrorin fossils were found, were part of a forested or woodland environment with streams, which might have influenced its diet and locomotion patterns. The presence of bipedalism in such an environment suggests that this form of locomotion could have been advantageous for foraging or carrying food.