Paranthropus

New hominid fossils from Member 1 of the Swartkrans formation, South Africa

by Jason Heaton

Co-Authored with Travis Pickering, Ron Clarke, Morris Sutton, Bob Brain and Kathy Kuman. From the "Journal of Human Evolution", May 2012.

Member 1 of the Swartkrans Formation is comprised of two sedimentary infills, the Lower Bank (LB) and the Hanging... more Member 1 of the Swartkrans Formation is comprised of two sedimentary infills, the Lower Bank (LB) and the Hanging Remnant (HR). Together, the LB and HR preserve fossils of early Homo and Paranthropus robustus, Earlier Stone Age lithic artifacts, purported bone digging tools and butchered animal bones. Collectively, this evidence was the first to establish the co-existence of two early Pleistocene hominid species and also led to inferences of plant root harvesting and meat-eating by one or both of those species. P. robustus is the more abundant of the two hominids at Swartrkrans, represented in Member 1 by hundreds of fossils that derive from at least 99 individuals. Thus, Swartkrans Member 1 stands as the world’s single largest repository of that extinct species. Here we add to the Member 1 sample of hominid fossils with descriptions of 14 newly discovered specimens.

Roots, Bugs and Venison: Prehistoric Cuisine at Swartkrans Cave

by Jason Heaton

Co-Authored with Travis Pickering, 2009, in Quest: Science for South Africa

The context of Stw 573, an early hominid skull and skeleton from Sterkfontein Member 2: taphonomy and paleoenvironment

by Jason Heaton

Co-authored with Travis Pickering and Ron Clarke, 2004, in the Journal of Human Evolution

The reconstructed taphonomic and paleoenvironmental contexts of a ca. 4 million-year-old partial hominid skeleton (Stw... more The reconstructed taphonomic and paleoenvironmental contexts of a ca. 4 million-year-old partial hominid skeleton (Stw 573) from Sterkfontein Member 2 are described through presentation of the results of our analyses of the mammalian faunal assemblage associated stratigraphically with the hominid. The assemblage is dominated by cercopithecoids (Parapapio and Papio) and felids (Panthera pardus, P. leo, Felis caracal, and Felidae indet.), based on number of identified specimens, minimum number of elements and, minimum number of individuals. In addition, the assemblage is characterized by a number of partial skeletons and/or antimeric sets of bones across all taxonomic groups. There is scant indication of carnivore chewing in the assemblage. These observations, in addition to other taphonomic data, suggest that the remains of many animals recovered in Member 2 are from individuals that entered the cave on their own—whether accidentally by falling through avens connecting the cave to the ground surface above or by intentional entry—and were then unable to escape, rather than primarily through systematic collection by a biotic, bone-accumulating agent. The taphonomic conclusion that animals with climbing proclivities (i.e., primates and carnivores) are preferentially preserved over other taxa, ultimately because of those proclivities, urges caution in assessing the fidelity of the assemblage for reconstruction of the Member 2 paleoenvironment. With that caveat, we infer that the Member 2 paleoenvironment was typified by rolling, rock-littered and brush- and scrub-covered hills, indicated by the abundant F. caracal and cercopithecoid fossils recovered and the identified presence of the extinct Caprinae Makapania broomi. In addition, the valley bottom may have retained standing water year-round, perhaps supporting some tree cover—a setting suitable for the well-represented ambush predator P. pardus and suggested by the presence of Alcelaphini. Finally, the reconstructed taphonomic and paleoenvironmental settings of Sterkfontein Member 2 are compared to penecontemporaneous sites in South and East Africa.

Hominin palaeoecology in Late Pliocene Malawi: Insights from isotopes (13C, 18O) in mammal teeth

by Herve Bocherens

Bocherens, H., Sandrock, O., Kullmer, O., Schrenk, F. 2011. South African Journal of Science 107(3/4): 95-100.

Estudio paleodemográfico de la población de Paranthropus boisei de los yacimientos de Olduvai (Tanzania), East Rudolf y West Turkana (Kenia)

by Jordi Galbany

L M Martínez, J Galbany, A Pérez-Pérez  (2002)  Estudio paleodemográfico de la población de Paranthropus boisei de los yacimientos de Olduvai (Tanzania), East Rudolf y West Turkana (Kenia).  Revista Española de Antropología Física  23:  85-91

En el presente trabajo se estudia el modelo paleodemográfico de la población de Paranthropus boisei constituida por... more En el presente trabajo se estudia el modelo paleodemográfico de la población de Paranthropus boisei constituida por los materiales fósiles de los yacimientos de Olduvai (Tanzania), West Turkana (Kenia) y East Rudolf (Kenia). Las estimaciones de edad de muerte de cada individuo se realizaron a partir de la tasa de desgaste dentario oclusal de especimenes de edad conocida de la población de Homo habilis de los mismos yacimientos estudiada anteriormente, que se aplicó a todos los dientes de P. boisei obteniéndose una edad por individuo que permitió realizar el estudio paleodemográfico de la población. Los resultados obtenidos, aunque limitados por la metodología aplicada, indican una elevada mortalidad en los individuos inmaduros, especialmente en los individuos juveniles, y un patrón demográfico en los primeros intervalos de edad diferente al de las poblaciones del género Homo estudiadas.