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• Australopithecus sediba:
• Discovered in 2008 by Matthew
Berger (9 year old son of Lee
Berger). Not described until 2010.
South Africa
• Later australopith showing a mosaic
of australopith (teeth, limbs, upper
chest) and homo features (lower
chest, skull, face, pre-molars)
• A species at the transition point
between Australopiths and Homo?
• Dated to 2-1.5 mybp
Earliest hominins: Australopiths
• Lucy bones – unquestionably
bipedal. Some adaptations for
tree-dwelling present. Small 3-4
feet in stature. High sexual
dimorphism. Probably didn’t run
very well. Ate fruits, nuts, insects,
small USOs, amounts of meat.
Was prey as much as predator.
Earliest hominins: Australopiths
• Dart’s Taung child, killed by
predator? Dated at about
2.5mybp, est. 4yrs.
• Period of nutritional stress at
2.5yrs, possible early weaning
age compared to apes; evidence
of cooperative breeding, care of
young?
Earliest hominins: Australopiths
• The pitted pattern of
Laetoli feet, about 3.5
mybp.
Earliest hominins: Australopiths
• “Nariokotome boy”:
1984 Richard Leakey.
Near complete
skeleton of 12 year
old boy, west of Lake
Turkana in northern
Kenya, dated to
around 1.4mybp.
Nariokotome
• Berekhat Ram
(230kybp)
• Levallois “prepared
core” technique
(300kybp
• Pigment use
(300kybp)
• Control of fire
(300kybp)
Composite tools: 300,000 ybp