While not exactly a monster, the recently unearthed Ardipithecus ramidus is the oldest humanoid(ish) species known to, well, man. The artist renditions make it look like something from Planet of the Apes, but the most notable feature of the specimen is that it’s older than “Lucy,” the previous record holder for humanity’s earliest ancestor. Discovered in Ethiopia’s Afar desert, the 110-pound female has been nicknamed “Ardi” and scientists have confirmed that she has completely disproved the concept of a “missing link” that would theoretically serve as the roots of the gnarly family tree that is human evolution. Get the rest of the details over at National Geographic’s website, and be sure to check out their illustrated guide to Ardi’s anatomy so you can laugh at her abnormally disproportional feet and hands.
