Paranthropus aethiopicusTimespan: 2.2 – 2.8 mya

Region: East Africa

Specimens: 3+

Discovered: Leakey 1995

Holotype: OMO-18

Lineage:

Environment: Savannah (& possible closed)

Diet:

Speculation/theories: • Often as Australopithecus aethiopicus; sometimes as P. walkeri• Specimens (Black Skull) orig classified as P. boisei • Likely ancestor to P. boisei and/or P. robustus but disproves A. africanus as ancestor to all;

possible parallel evol (A. africanus to P. robustus in South Africa, P. aethiopics to P. boisei in East Africa)

• Larger incisors than P. robustus & P. boisei imply more important in diet-driven• Environment apparently more closed than P. boisei

D I A G N O S T I C F E AT U R E S

cranio-dental• thick enamel on postcanines• reduced cranial base flexion (external) • asterionic notch present • extensive pneumatisation of the temporal squama• shallow glenoid fossa• cerebellum is not tucked • shallow anterior palate• primitive mandibular fossa

• facial prognathism• small cranial capacity (410cc)• cresting features on back of skull

• prominent sagittal crest• flat & concave face• markedly expanded cheek teeth

• more primitive cranial vault and base w/ shallow articular fossa• low articular eminence continuous with a flat preglenoid planum• more prognathic face• larger incisors• less- flexed cranial base than P. boisei

similar to A. afarensis{

Paranthropus' masticatory specializations:• massive jaws• huge grinding cheek

teeth• sagittal crests

differs from A. afarensis{

}differs from P. boisei

K E Y S P E C I M E N S

• OMO-18: mandible

• KNM-WT 17000, the “Black Skull” – cranium,

• KNM-WT 16005: mandible

M A J O R S I T E S

• West Turkana, Kenya – KNM-WT-17OO found

• Omo, Ethiopia – OMO-18 found

B I B L I O G R A P H Y

Ackerman, R. & R. Smith (2007) The Macroevolution of our Ancient Lineage: What We Know (or Think We Know) about Early Hominin Diversity, Evolutionary Biology 34: 72-85

Arambourg, C., & Y. Coppens (1968).Sur la découverte, dans la Pléistocène inférieur de a vallée de l'Omo (Ethiopie), d'une mandibule d'Australopithécien. C. R. Acad. Sci., 265: 589-590.

Falk, D., et al (2000). Early hominid brain evolution: a new look at old endocasts. Journal of human evolution, 38(5), 695-717

Groves, C. P. (1999). News and Views Nomenclature of African Plio-Pleistocene hominins. Journal of Human Evolution.

Kimbel, W. et al (1988) “Implications of KNM-WT-1700 for the evolution of 'Robust' Australopithecus”, In Fred E. Grine, editor, Evolutionary History of the “Robust” Australopithecines 259-268

Ramirez-Rozzi, F. (1993) Tooth development in East African Paranthropus, Science 24, (6) 429-454

Strait, D. S. et al(1997). A reappraisal of early hominid phylogeny. Journal of human evolution, 32(1), 17-82.

Walker, A.C., et al (1986) 2.5-Myr Australopithecus boisei from west of Lake Turkana, Kenya. Nature, 322, 517-522.

Wood, B., & Constantino, P. (2007). Paranthropus boisei : Fifty Years of Evidence and Analysis. Nature, 132, 106-132.

Human Evolution: Taxonomy and Palaeobiology