First partial skeleton of a 1.34-million-year-old Paranthropus boisei from Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.

Bibliographic Collection: 
APE
Publication Type: Journal Article
Authors: Domínguez-Rodrigo, Manuel; Pickering, Travis Rayne; Baquedano, Enrique; Mabulla, Audax; Mark, Darren F; Musiba, Charles; Bunn, Henry T; Uribelarrea, David; Smith, Victoria; Diez-Martin, Fernando; Pérez-González, Alfredo; Sánchez, Policarpo; Santonja, Manuel; Barboni, Doris; Gidna, Agness; Ashley, Gail; Yravedra, José; Heaton, Jason L; Arriaza, Maria Carmen
Year of Publication: 2013
Journal: PLoS One
Volume: 8
Issue: 12
Pagination: e80347
Date Published: 2013
Publication Language: eng
ISSN: 1932-6203
Keywords: Animals, Fossils, Hominidae, Organ Specificity, Paleontology, Skeleton, Tanzania
Abstract:

Recent excavations in Level 4 at BK (Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania) have yielded nine hominin teeth, a distal humerus fragment, a proximal radius with much of its shaft, a femur shaft, and a tibia shaft fragment (cataloged collectively as OH 80). Those elements identified more specifically than to simply Hominidae gen. et sp. indet are attributed to Paranthropus boisei. Before this study, incontrovertible P. boisei partial skeletons, for which postcranial remains occurred in association with taxonomically diagnostic craniodental remains, were unknown. Thus, OH 80 stands as the first unambiguous, dentally associated Paranthropus partial skeleton from East Africa. The morphology and size of its constituent parts suggest that the fossils derived from an extremely robust individual who, at 1.338±0.024 Ma (1 sigma), represents one of the most recent occurrences of Paranthropus before its extinction in East Africa.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080347
Alternate Journal: PLoS ONE