Richard Leakey

Richard Erskine Frere Leakey (born 19 December 1944 in Nairobi, Kenya), is a paleontologist, archaeologist and conservationist. He is the second of the three sons of the archaeologists Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey. A high school drop-out, Leakey discovered his love of paleontology when he led an expedition to a fossil site he had discovered while flying. Frustrated by the lack of recognition he received for his accomplishments due to his lack of scientific credentials, Leakey left for England to catch up on his high school education. However, after six months, Leakey returned home to continue his safaris. He never completed his degree.

Paleontology

Leakey started his career following in the footsteps of his famous parents with discoveries of early hominid fossils in East Africa. A homo habilis skull (ER 1470)and a homo erectus skull (ER 3733), discovered in 1972 and 1975, respectively, were among the most significant finds of Leakey's earlier expeditions. His most famous discovery was that of Turkana Boy in the Koobi Fora area near Lake Turkana. Turkana Boy was the nearly complete skeleton of a 12-year-old (or possibly 9-year-old) homo erectus who died 1.6 million years ago. Leakey and Roger Lewin describe the experience of this find and their interpretation of it, in their book Origins Reconsidered (1992). Shortly after the discovery of Turkana Boy, Leakey and his team made the discovery of a skull of a new species, Australopithecus aethiopicus (WT 17000).

Related Topics:
Hominid - 1972 - 1975 - Turkana Boy - Lake Turkana - Roger Lewin - Origins Reconsidered - 1992

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