Eyasi Plateau Paleontological Expedition, Laetoli (Tanzania) fossil specimen database 1998-2005

The Eyasi Plateau Paleontological Expedition (EPPE) Laetoli specimen database contains 13716 records of plant and animal fossils (ca. 28248 specimens) collected by EPPE field teams working at Laetoli, Tanzania between 1998 and 2005. This dataset is a digital version of the original hard-copy specimen catalogue and it documents the discovery, stratigraphic provenience and taxonomic diversity of Pliocene and Pleistocene fauna and flora in northern Tanzania in the time range between 4.4 Ma and >200 ka. Laetoli is renowned for the discovery of important hominin fossils, including the lectotype for Australopithecus afarensis, one of our early hominin ancestors, the first record of Paranthropus aethiopicus outside Kenya-Ethiopia, and an early record of our own species Homo sapiens. This database is one of the few publicly available palaeoanthropological fossil datasets and serves as an example for expanding open access to primary fossil occurrence data in palaeoanthropology. The taxonomic identifications appearing in this dataset are the original field identifications and are provisional. Any taxonomic analysis employing this dataset should refer to updated taxonomic identifications published by specialists.

埃亚西高原古生物考察队（Eyasi Plateau Paleontological Expedition, EPPE）莱托利标本数据库，收录了1998年至2005年间由EPPE野外考察队在坦桑尼亚莱托利地区采集的13716条动植物化石记录（约28248件标本）。本数据集为原始纸质标本目录的数字化版本，记录了坦桑尼亚北部440万年前至晚于20万年前期间，上新世（Pliocene）与更新世（Pleistocene）动植物群的发现情况、地层产出层位以及分类多样性。
莱托利地区因诸多重要人亚族（hominin）化石的发现而享誉学界，其中包括阿法南方古猿（Australopithecus afarensis）的选模标本——该物种为我们早期的古人类祖先之一，还有肯尼亚-埃塞俄比亚以外地区首件埃塞俄比亚傍人（Paranthropus aethiopicus）化石记录，以及智人（Homo sapiens）的早期化石记录。
本数据库是少数可公开获取的古人类学（palaeoanthropology）化石数据集之一，可为推动古人类学领域原始化石产出数据的开放共享提供示范。
本数据集内的分类学鉴定均为原始野外鉴定结果，仅为暂定结论。使用本数据集开展分类学分析时，应参考专家已发表的更新版分类学鉴定结果。