Paleoanthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey died yesterday (January 2), Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta announced.
Born in Nairobi to accomplished paleontologist parents Louis and Mary Leakey, Richard was the second of three sons. At age six, he uncovered his first fossil, an extinct giant pig’s jaw, reports National Geographic. At first, Leakey was hesitant to follow in his parents’ footsteps, instead dropping out of school at 16 and pursuing interests such as trapping animals for universities and museums, flying, and giving safari tours, according to a profile by the American Academy of Achievement. However, in 1965, he travelled to London in an attempt to continue his education. Instead of completing his degree in anthropology, Leakey returned to Kenya where he managed paleontological expeditions, according to The New York Times.
In 1968, he was appointed director of the National Museum of Kenya. During his tenure there, he excavated hundreds of fossils from ...
