New hominid fossils from the Swartkrans formation (1979-1986 excavations): Postcranial specimens

New postcranial fossils of Paranthropus robustus and Homo cf. erectus were recovered from Swartkrans from 1979 through 1986. These fossils are from Members 1,2, and 3. The new fossils are described here along with their morphological affinities. Fossils that are assigned to Paranthropus indicate tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physical anthropology 1989-08, Vol.79 (4), p.451-474
Main Author: Susman, Randall L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa, Southern
Arm - anatomy & histology
Australopithecine
Bone and Bones - anatomy & histology
Fingers - anatomy & histology
Foot - anatomy & histology
Fossils
Hand - anatomy & histology
History of medicine
History, Ancient
Hominidae
Homo
Humans
Locomotion
Paleontology
Paleopathology
Paranthropus
Postcranial anatomy
Swartkrans
Toes - anatomy & histology
Tool behavior
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Description
Summary:New postcranial fossils of Paranthropus robustus and Homo cf. erectus were recovered from Swartkrans from 1979 through 1986. These fossils are from Members 1,2, and 3. The new fossils are described here along with their morphological affinities. Fossils that are assigned to Paranthropus indicate that the South African “robust” australopithecines engaged in tool behavior and were essentially terrestrial bipeds at around 1.8 Myr BP. The manual dexterity and bipedal locomotion of Paranthropus may have equaled that of Homo habilis in East Africa at approximately the same time.
ISSN:0002-9483
1096-8644
DOI:10.1002/ajpa.1330790403