LH 4

LH 4 or Laetoli Hominid 4 is the catalogue number of a fossilized mandible which was discovered by Mary Leakey in 1974 from Laetoli, Tanzania.
Mary Leakey and her team, including Tim White, found between 1974 and 1977 forty-two hominid teeth associated with a jawbone. One of them was LH-4, a fine specimen with nine teeth. White described the fossils, and LH-4 was assigned as the "name-bearer" of the new species Australopithecus afarensis by Don Johanson and White.

Observations

The specimen is 2.9–3.9 million years old and is mandible of an adult Australopithecus afarensis with all molars present and a fairly large canine. Most anterior teeth and rami are missing. But, the dental arcade is in a good condition with little or no evidence of distortion.