The Lecture Notes On The Paranthropus Aethiopicus Species

The robust australopithecines or paranthropines had a curved face with a arch for the cheek bones that are formed by connecting the zygomatic and the temporal bones together. The robust australopithecines had a bone ridge on top of their skull called a sagittal crest, which is also attached to the jaw muscles. They had a flexable base just above were their jaw bone connected to their cheek bone. With their really large back teeth (below the cheek bone) the robust australopithecines fossils were known to the researchers as the “nutcracker man”. They used these really large back teeth to eat tough foods and nuts. And their teeth in the front were smaller.

Australopithecus Boisei: Similar to the A. Aethiopicus in terms of the upper shape with the vertical line of bone

They found that Au. ramidus had very similar characteristics to Sahelanthropus Tchadensis an ancestor that dates to 6-7 million years ago. Ardi had a foot that was primitive and had an opposable big toe which was most likely used to grab on branches. She also had a long and curvy spine just like humans. Its pelvis was large like those of apes and had short and broad shoulders suggesting it had a lower center of mass and could possibly walk on one leg at a time. But it is also thought that it was still spending a lot of time in the trees as well. Thus, why it is thought to be intermediate form of bipedalism it lived in both worlds, walking upright, and climbing trees, equal success in both biospheres. Although Ardi is not the connection to apes it still served to prove that the ancestor of apes was a lot more primitive than we believed. There are still several questions to be answered in this puzzle called our ancestry. It may seem that more questions arise as more clues are found, but that is science, there would be no intrigue left if all questions were

Ardipithecus and other early Australopithecines lived in a habitat much wetter than the environment of Aramis, Ethiopia today. The set for scene one could at times experience a “rain fall,” and should include a woodland habitat with patches of denser forest and an abundant amount of monkeys just as what would have been seen between five and three million years ago. In 1992, an expedition led by Tim White of the University of California, Berkeley discovered the fossil of Ardipithecus ramidus, dating back to 4.4 million years ago. The skeleton nicknamed “Ardi” ended up weighing around 112 pounds, stood almost four feet tall, (somewhat larger than a male chimpanzee but smaller than a female gorilla) and was most likely a female. Ardi’s ape sized brain has a cranial capacity of only 300 to 350 CC.

The first preserved bones for this species was a lower jaw with teeth, found near Heidelberg, Germany. Other fossils include 5,500 bone fragments from 28 individuals found in “The Pit of Bones”, Spain, and possibly a fossilized skullcap discovered in northern India 's Narmada Valley that currently represents the easternmost occurrence (Meyer 2013).

Paranthropus were bipedal hominids that researchers speculate to have descended from the gracile australopithecine hominids around 2.7 million years ago. They were located in South Africa. Paranthropus boisei had a specialized skull that had adaptation from heavy chewing. From the top and side of its braincase to the lower jaw of its chewing mules was anchored by a strong sagittal crest that was located on the midline of the top of the skull. The Paranthropus boisei had a very wide and dish-shaped face that it created a large opening to have big jaw muscles to support their cheek teeth that are four time bigger than one of a human.

The discovery of Ardipithecus Ramidus (Ardi) changed our whole insight of how humans evolved. The theory that we evolved from ape like species was disproven. Because of Ardi’s has close resemblance of qualities of both a chimpanzee and a human, she is thought to be the “missing link” between our last common ancestor and the Australopithecines. Ardi’s had a pelvis structure, which was evident that she was bipedal on the ground while she could also climb trees, using her long fingers and opposable big toe for grasping, however the flexibility that apes use to grab and scale tree trunks and vines she lacked. The way the hand, wrist and shoulder bones demonstration shown that she wasn't a knuckle walker and did not spend much time hanging or swinging

Based on a toe bone discovered among other fossils belonging to this new hominid, it has been determined by Haile-Selassie that “Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba almost certainly walked on two legs when on the ground. The creature’s teeth share more characteristics with all later discovered hominids than with the teeth of all fossils and modern apes” (Rickman 2001). Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba ate a smaller amount of fruit and more soft leaves than prior chimpanzees, according to the fossils of the hominids relatively large back teeth and narrow front teeth.

Ardipithecus Ramidus was discovered in the 1990’s. It is believed to be one of the earliest of our ancestors discovered yet, dating back to almost 4.4 million years ago. 24 years ago, between 1992-1993 hundreds of fossils were recovered in Ethiopia. According to Dorey (2015) “The finds number over 110 specimens and represent about 35 individual members of this species. Most of the remains are dental, but some skull and limb bones were also found.” “Ardipithecus is a genus of an extinct hominine that lived during Late Miocene and Early Pliocene in Afar Depression, Ethiopia. Originally described as one of the earliest ancestors of humans after they diverged from the main ape lineage, the relation of this genus to human ancestors and whether it is a hominin is now a matter of debate.” (Ardipithecus ramidus 2015)

Australopithecus ramidus represents the oldest species that possesses certain features that create a unequivocal link to the hominin lineage. Both sites from which Ar. ramidus fossils were recovered , every site offers slightly totally different environment reconstructions. At Gona, several massive mammal fauna related to Ar. ramidus are intense grazers, which might indicate a environment with a major grass-covered peice. different indicators from Gona, however, recommend that the atmosphere was a a lot of mosaic environs, consisting of closed woodlands and a lot of open, grass-covered environments. Similar proof from the components of the middle awash region wherever Ar. ramidus has been found, in contrast, result in reconstructions of a closed woodland. though the Aramis reconstruction suggests a a lot of closed surroundings, each environment reconstructions square measure in keeping with the concept that bipedality at first evolved during a time of woodland surroundings instead

Australopithecine or Australopith, is an informal term used, primarily, to describe all species in the, related, Australopithecus and Paranthropus genera (McHenry 2017). The clade does, however, also include; Sahelanthropus tchadensis (7–6 mya), Orrorin tugenensis (6 mya), Ardipithecus kadabba and Ardipithecus ramidus (5.8–4.4 mya), Kenyanthropus platyops (3.5–3.2 mya), and other human-like primates (McHenry 2017; Szpak 2017). The distribution of Australopithecines stretches across Africa, encompassing species of varying ages and complex relationships (McHenry 2017). Paranthropus and Australopithecus are often referred to as ‘robust’ and ‘gracile’ clades of Australopithecine, respectively, as opposed to individual genera (Szpak 2017).

This earlier hominin was between a mixture of human-like traits and ape-like traits. Sexual dimorphism plays a role in ape-like features such as pointed canines that were longer than the rest of the teeth and a diastema for their canines that are not seen in modern today humans. Their enamel in their teeth is thick indicating that they feed on rough objects like plants, nuts, and seeds. It is believed with the little evidence of Australopithecus Afarensis, that the skeletal size was affected by sexual dimorphism as well. Body size and body mass change in inter-male competition (Kimbel & Delezene, 2009). A couple of human-like traits is the position of the foramen magnum that moved under the bottom of the skull. Their pelvis is another human-like feature that is in length and height. The pelvis is short and broad, but it does not possess the modifications that allowed them to move in an average stride. Their pelvis is another human-like feature that is in length and height. Ape-like traits insist of fore limbs that are longer than their hind limbs with shoulder blade sockets that were positioned upward because their closest relative were brachiators. Australopithecus Afarensis’ cognitive abilities fall unexplained but some evidence has shown they were able to take hold of rough stone tools (Szpak, 2007). Their rib cage was shaped like a cone because it gave more space for a larger stomach. The size of their brain was small relatively like a chimpanzee’s and a low forehead with projecting brow ridges. Also, obtaining a small hyoid that supported the tongue and voice box resulting with a voice like a chimpanzee. Ape-like cusps in the premolar teeth and one big cusp in the front premolar. Furthermore, this gave Australopithecus Afarensis the ability to climb trees due to these ape-like characteristics. In addition to human-like traits, the size and pattern of the back-molar teeth which the size

Paranthropus boisei is also known as Australopithecus boisei. Paranthropus boisei lived in Eastern Africa in countries such as Ethiopia at the Konso and Omo River basin, Kenya at Koobi Fora, Chesowonja, and West Turkana, Tanzania at Olduvai Gorge and Peninj, and Malawi. Paranthropus boisei lived about 2.3 to 1.2 million years ago. Paranthropus boisei is also known as being the most robust of the robust australopithecines. Paranthropus boisei had human like features including a strong sagittal crest that assisted in chewing by having a large bottom and top jaw, with large molars and premolars. Paranthropus boisei also had flaring cheekbones and a cranial capacity that was 100 cc larger than in the last genus homo within the last one million

Raven, Johnson, Mason, Losos and Singer (2016) notes that there are at least seven identified species in the Australopithecus genus.

The most famous member of the human family tree was a fossil named “Lucy”. Lucy was a fossil discovered in 1974, and named after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. “Lucy lived some 3.2 million years ago. She belonged to the species Australopithecusafarensis” ( Bower) Lucy was a hominid, that means she came from the same family as our most recent ancient relatives and humans. The reason for being such a famous member of the family tree is because it is one of the few full skeletons of our most recent ancient relatives. Lucy plays a great role in our study of human evolution.