Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Kromdraai B, Transvaal, South Africa
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Australopithecus robustus was a robust australopithecine identified from fossils at Kromdraai B in the Transvaal. The discovery of associated cranial and postcranial remains in 1938 helped establish that the Kromdraai hominid differed from Australopithecus africanus, particularly in facial anatomy and permanent dentition. The Kromdraai B sample represents at least six individuals of different ages. The site was a solution gallery containing a fragmented faunal assemblage shaped by both hominid activity and carnivore occupation.
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Le récit
Australopithecus robustus was recognized through hominid remains recovered at Kromdraai, Site B, in 1938. The locality was one of several fossiliferous infillings, and the association of cranial and postcranial parts provided an important basis for identifying a distinct taxon. At the time, the comparison was primarily with Australopithecus africanus, whose adult cranial and dental remains were then known from nearby Sterkfontein but remained fragmentary.
The Kromdraai material differed from Australopithecus africanus in comparable body parts, especially the facial skeleton and the morphology and dimensions of permanent teeth. A juvenile mandible with deciduous dentition, recovered later at the same locality, was also morphologically distinct from the A. africanus type. These contrasts contributed to the recognition of a polyspecific early hominid record in southern Africa.
The adult cranial base and facial skeleton show a series of distinctive features, while the permanent premolar-molar dentition differs in size, proportions, and morphology. The inferred incisor-canine dentition is known only from sockets and roots. Some postcranial elements have few or no counterparts in other southern African samples, although a partial ilium is described as broadly comparable to A. africanus and apparently similar overall to A. crassidens.
At least six individuals are represented at Kromdraai B, including two infants, two older children, and two adolescent or young adult individuals. All were recovered from the upper part of the infilling. Hominids form a small share of the larger mammalian fossil assemblage, while cercopithecoids, carnivores, and bovids are prominent components.
Kromdraai B was an elongated solution gallery in which sediment accumulated along a slope. The highly fragmented bones, the high proportion of juvenile bovids, and the predominance of low-weight species were interpreted as possible evidence that hominid hunting contributed to the accumulation. Carnivores also occupied the site, as indicated by their coprolites, and fewer than half a dozen possible stone artifacts have been recovered.
Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Kromdraai B, Transvaal, South Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Australopithecus robustus was a robust australopithecine identified from fossils at Kromdraai B in the Transvaal. The discovery of associated cranial and postcranial remains in 1938 helped establish that the Kromdraai hominid differed from Australopithecus africanus, particularly in facial anatomy and permanent dentition. The Kromdraai B sample represents at least six individuals of different ages. The site was a solution gallery containing a fragmented faunal assemblage shaped by both hominid activity and carnivore occupation.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Australopithecus robustus was recognized through hominid remains recovered at Kromdraai, Site B, in 1938. The locality was one of several fossiliferous infillings, and the association of cranial and postcranial parts provided an important basis for identifying a distinct taxon. At the time, the comparison was primarily with Australopithecus africanus, whose adult cranial and dental remains were then known from nearby Sterkfontein but remained fragmentary.
The Kromdraai material differed from Australopithecus africanus in comparable body parts, especially the facial skeleton and the morphology and dimensions of permanent teeth. A juvenile mandible with deciduous dentition, recovered later at the same locality, was also morphologically distinct from the A. africanus type. These contrasts contributed to the recognition of a polyspecific early hominid record in southern Africa.
The adult cranial base and facial skeleton show a series of distinctive features, while the permanent premolar-molar dentition differs in size, proportions, and morphology. The inferred incisor-canine dentition is known only from sockets and roots. Some postcranial elements have few or no counterparts in other southern African samples, although a partial ilium is described as broadly comparable to A. africanus and apparently similar overall to A. crassidens.
At least six individuals are represented at Kromdraai B, including two infants, two older children, and two adolescent or young adult individuals. All were recovered from the upper part of the infilling. Hominids form a small share of the larger mammalian fossil assemblage, while cercopithecoids, carnivores, and bovids are prominent components.
Kromdraai B was an elongated solution gallery in which sediment accumulated along a slope. The highly fragmented bones, the high proportion of juvenile bovids, and the predominance of low-weight species were interpreted as possible evidence that hominid hunting contributed to the accumulation. Carnivores also occupied the site, as indicated by their coprolites, and fewer than half a dozen possible stone artifacts have been recovered.
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