Mary Leakey

paleontology · fossil hunter · human origins · Africa

Found ancient ape skulls. Mary discovered the first fossilised Proconsul skull, an extinct ape that scientists think might be an ancestor to humans. She also found the Zinjanthropus skull, a robust hominin skull at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.

Discovered 3.75 million-year-old footprints. At the Laetoli site in Africa, Mary found fossilised footprints left by ancient hominins more than 3.75 million years ago. These footprints showed exactly how our very early ancestors walked.

Classified ancient stone tools. Mary developed a system to organize and classify all the stone tools found at Olduvai Gorge. This helped scientists understand how early humans made and used tools.

Dug at Olduvai Gorge. For most of her career, Mary worked with her husband Louis at Olduvai Gorge, uncovering fossils of ancient hominines and some of the earliest humans. Their discoveries changed how we understand human history.