Australopithecus boisei

In 1959, Mary Leakey made the first hominine discovery in East Africa at the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania which resembled the robust australopithecines already found in South Africa. After reconstructing the skull which was built up out of hundreds of fragments, it was found that this specimen was even more "robust" than its southern relatives. At first, it was named Zinjanthropus boisei, but later changed to Australopithecus boisei. There is still however a lively debate over the genus name and this species is also often referred to as Paranthropus boisei. A common perception is that the robust species of australopithecine differs sufficiently from the gracile type to warrant a different genus name.

This table shows the main morphological differences between the two main members of the so-called "robust" Australopithecine family; Australopithecus boisei and Australopithecus robustus.

| Ardipithecus ramidus | Australopithecus anamensis | Australopithecus afarensis |
| Australopithecus africanus | Australopithecus aethiopicus | Australopithecus boisei |
| Australopithecus robustus | Homo habilis | Homo rudolfensis | Homo erectus | Homo ergaster |
| Homo heidelbergensis | Homo neanderthalensis | Homo sapiens |