What's the difference?
In Echoes From the Beyond, the Kimatu species was introduced. The main characters introduce the idea of there being two different branches of the Kimatu.
"Around 1.5 million years ago, the Kimatu split. Half moved from the border of Kenya and Tanzania and went to Spain while the other half went to Ghana."
"they [the neanderthals] worshiped our European counterparts. My siblings and I were part of the African strain of Kimatu."
Not all Kimatu are African
This little detail is easy to overlook because the main characters are African. Kaden said early on that he was from Ghana. The Kimatu are an African species, but they live on two different continents.
The African Kimatu have darker skin and black--generally curly/wavy--hair. The European Kimatu who were born in Kenya/Tanzania look the same as the African Kimatu. The Kimatu who were born in Europe have lighter tan skin and lighter medium brown--generally straight or wavy--hair.
left--European middle/right--African
The other traits and skills explained by Kwaku and Yaw are shared by both the European and African Kimatu.
Homo sapiens vs Kimatu
trait | Homo Sapiens | Kimatu |
height | males- 5'7.5" females- 5'2" | males- 5'3" females- 4'11" |
speed | world record running speed- 27 mph average running speed- 6.5-8 mph | run upwards 84 mph (for reference, a cheetah can run up to 75 mph) |
strength | deadlift world record-1,104.5 lbs | deadlift 3,313.5 lbs |
IQ | 85-115 IQ | 110-140 IQ |
learning speed | 10,000 hrs to master a skill | 5,000 hrs to master a skill |
hair color | blonde, red, brown, black | brown, black |
skin tone | very light to very dark | very dark to mid-toned depending on region |
eye color | blue, green, gray, brown, violet, black | brown, black, dark green |
“The ancient Kimatu had magic, but it was dangerous. It was outlawed and taken from the people to create these swords. They were bound to the souls of all Kimatu, present and future.”