| Paranthropus Temporal range:Pleistocene | |
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| Skull ofParanthropus boisei | |
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| Genus: | Paranthropus Broom, 1938 |
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†Paranthropus aethiopicus | |
Paranthropus is anextinctgenus ofrobustaustralopithecines. They probably descended from the genusAustralopithecus.
All species ofParanthropus werebipedal, and many lived during a time when species of the genusHomo, such asHomo ergaster andHomo erectus, were living.
Paranthropus first appeared roughly 2.7 million years ago. Most species ofParanthropus had abrain about 40 percent of the size of modernman. There was some size variation between the different species ofParanthropus, but most stood roughly 1.3-1.4 m (4.26 to 4.59 feet) tall and were quite well muscled.Paranthropus is thought to have lived in wooded areas rather than the grasslands of theAustralopithecus.
Australopithecus andParanthropus also looked very different from each other. These differences were only found in remains of theskull. The other parts of theskeleton were still very similar, so it is reasonable to think the difference was anadaptation to different food.Paranthropus was more massively built as to skull andteeth. It often hadgorilla-likesagittal crests on thecranium which anchored massive temporalis muscles for chewing.[1]
Paranthropus did not behave in the same way asHomo. They lived on a diet of heavy-duty plant material:leaves, slim branches, grass, roots. Thediet might be supplemented withinsect grubs. Lacking our flexible behaviour,Paranthropus relied on the steadyenvironmental conditions of thetropicalforest. Members of the genusHomo, such asHomo habilis, had proportionately larger brains and more flexible behaviour. They were able to eat a much wider variety of foods.
Opinions differ whether the speciesP. aethiopicus, P. boisei andP. robustus should be included within the genusAustralopithecus. On Wikipedia, the genusParanthropus is used for all articles which mention the speciesP. aethiopicus, P. boisei andP. robustus.
For the most part theAustralopithecus speciesA. afarensis,A. africanus, andA. anamensis either disappeared from thefossil record before the appearance of early humans or seem to have been the ancestors ofHomo habilis.P. boisei andP. aethiopicus, on the other hand, continued to evolve along a separate path distinct and unrelated to early humans.Paranthropus shared the earth with some early examples of theHomo genus, such asH. habilis,H. ergaster, and possibly evenH. erectus.
Species ofParanthropus had smaller braincases thanHomo, yet they had significantly larger braincases thanAustralopithecus. Paranthropus is associated with stone tools both in southern and eastern Africa, although there is considerable debate whether they were made and utilized by these robust australopithecines. Most believe that earlyHomo was the tool maker.[2] MostParanthropus species almost certainly did not havelanguage or to have controlledfire, although they are directly associated with the latter at Swartkrans, South Africa.[2]
A partial cranium and mandible ofParanthropus robustus was discovered in 1938 by a schoolboy, 70 km south west ofPretoria inSouth Africa. It was described as a new genus and species byRobert Broom of theTransvaal Museum. A date of at least 1.95 million years has been obtained for the site.
Paranthropus boisei was discovered byMary Leakey in July 1959 at the site ofOlduvai Gorge inTanzania. Mary was working alone, asLouis was ill in camp. She rushed back to camp and at the news Louis made a remarkable recovery.
In his notes Louis recorded a first name,Titanohomo mirabilis, reflecting an initial impression of close human affinity. Louis and Mary began to call it "Dear Boy". Recovery was halted on August 7. Dear Boy was in context withOldowan tools and animal bones.
The fossil was published inNature on 15 August 1959, but due to a strike of the printers the issue was not released until September. In it Louis placed the fossil inBroom's Australopithecinae family, creating a new genus for it,Zinjanthropus, speciesboisei. "Zinj" is an ancient Arabic word for the coast of East Africa and "boisei" referred to Charles Boise, an anthropological benefactor of the Leakeys. Louis based his classification on twenty differences fromAustralopithecus.
Broom had died in 1951 butDart was still living. He is said to have wept for joy on Louis' behalf on being personally shown Zinj, which Louis and Mary carried around in a tin (later a box). Louis had considered Broom'sParanthropus genus, but rejected it because he believed Zinj was in theHomo ancestral stock but Paranthropus was not. He relied heavily on the larger size of Zinj's canines.
The battle of the name raged on for many years and drove a wedge between Louis andLeGros Clark, who took theParanthropus view. On the other hand it brought the Leakeys and Dr.Melville Bell Grosvenor of theNational Geographic Society together. The Leakeys became international figures and had no trouble finding funds from then on. The Zinj question ultimately became part of theAustralopithecus/Paranthropus question (which only applied to the robust Australopithecines).
