Leakey, Richard Erskine Frere

views updated

Leakey, Richard Erskine Frere (1944– ) Kenyan palaeoanthropologist and archaeologist, son of Mary and Louis Leakey. At Lake Turkana, Kenya, Leakey discovered (1972) a c.1.9 million year-old skull of Homo habilis. Other discoveries include a Homo erectus skeleton c.1.6 million years old. Leakey became director (1988–94) of the Kenyan Wildlife Service. His campaign against the ivory trade brought him into the political arena. In 1995, he co-founded the Safina Party. See also human evolution

More From encyclopedia.com