KNM-ER 1470 is an almost complete cranium missing aspects of its anterior face, including portions of the zygomatic and frontal bones. The cranium exhibits relatively reduced supraorbital tori, and lacks a distinct supraorbital sulcus². KNM-ER 1470 exhibits moderate postorbital constriction (though not as pronounced as australopiths), and no evidence of a sagittal keel². Overall, the cranium shows little indication of powerful chewing muscle attachments. No tooth crowns were recovered for KNM-ER 1470, but the roots and the preserved alveoli suggest that the incisors and canines (anterior teeth) were of substantial size², and that the cheek teeth were relatively large³. The vault of the cranium is relatively high, with parietal eminences and steeply sloping sides³.

There is much debate as to whether or not Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis are the same species. If they are considered separate species, KNM-ER 1470 is a good representation of the latter. The face of KNM-ER 1470 is relatively long in comparison with the H. habilis specimen KNM-ER 1813, and has a larger cranial capacity and larger cheek teeth³. Some argue that these specimens represent the male and female counterparts of a single species with marked sexual dimorphism, while others argued that the two fossils represent different species.

1. Johnson D and Edgar B. 2006. From Lucy to Language: Revised, Updated, and Expanded. New York: Simon and Schuster
2. Leakey REF. 1973. Evidence for an Advanced Plio-Pleistocene Hominid from East Rudolf, Kenya. Nature 242:447-450
3. Klein RG. 2009. The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins, Third Edition. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press.
4. Schwartz JH and Tattersall I. 2003. The Human Fossil Record. Volume Two. Craniodental Morphology of Genus Homo (African and Asia)_. Hoboken: Wiley-Liss.