PlumX Metrics
Embed PlumX Metrics

The first skull of Australopithecus boisei

Nature, ISSN: 0028-0836, Vol: 389, Issue: 6650, Page: 489-492
1997
  • 109
    Citations
  • 0
    Usage
  • 193
    Captures
  • 8
    Mentions
  • 0
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    109
  • Captures
    193
  • Mentions
    8
    • References
      8
      • Wikipedia
        8

Article Description

Australopithecus boisei was first described from a cranium recovered in 1959 from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. This and subsequent finds, mostly from Kenya's Turkana basin, resulted in its characterization as a specialized Australopithecus species with a hyper-robust masticatory apparatus. A distinct A. boisei facial morphology has been emphasized to differentiate robust Australopithecus lineages from East and South Africa. A preference for dosed and/or wet habitats has been hypothesized. Here we report some new A. boisei specimens, including the taxon's first cranium and associated mandible, from Konso, Ethiopia. These fossils extend the known geographical range of A. boisei. They provide clear evidence for the coexistence of A. boisei and Homo erectus within a predominantly dry grassland environment. The A, boisei specimens from Konso demonstrate considerable morphological variation within the species. The unexpected combination of cranial and facial features of this skull cautions against the excessive taxonomic splitting of early hominids based on morphological detail documented in small and/or geographically restricted samples.

Bibliographic Details

Gen Suwa; Kazuhiro Uzawa; Berhane Asfaw; Yonas Beyene; Tim D. White; Shlgehiro Katoh; Shinji Nagaoka; Hideo Nakaya; Paul Renne; Glday Woldegabriel

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Multidisciplinary

Provide Feedback

Have ideas for a new metric? Would you like to see something else here?Let us know