Table of Contents
What species is the Nutcracker Man?
Paranthropus boisei
Zinjanthropus boisei (later reclassified as Paranthropus boisei). Officially labeled OH 5 (Olduvai Hominid 5) but dubbed “Nutcracker Man” because of its huge molars (indicative of a vegetarian diet), the skull was dated to about 1.75 million years ago. The discovery indicated that hominins evolved in Africa.
How did Paranthropus boisei get its name?
The well-preserved cranium of Paranthropus boisei was first discovered by Mary Leakey in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania in 1959. It was given the nick-name ‘Nutcracker Man’ because of its large flat cheek teeth and thick enamel.
What did Paranthropus boisei look like?
boisei a very wide and dish-shaped face, creating a larger opening for bigger jaw muscles to pass through and support massive cheek teeth four times the size of a modern human’s. This species had even larger cheek teeth than P. robustus, a flatter, bigger-brained skull than P.
Who is oh5?
Olduvai Hominid 5 (OH 5) is easily the most famous of the early human fossils found at Olduvai Gorge. It is a nearly complete cranium of an adult male P. boisei. The fossil is still referred to today as “Zinj”, in reference to its original name.
Why did Paranthropus go extinct?
Whereas the ancestors of humans were thought to be adaptable generalists, Paranthropus species, which evolved massive teeth and jaws for chewing hard vegetation, were thought to have hit an evolutionary dead end because they were too specialised to adapt to new food sources produced by Africa’s changing climate.
When did boisei exist?
Paranthropus boisei is a species of australopithecine from the Early Pleistocene of East Africa about 2.5 to 1.15 million years ago.
Where did the Paranthropus boisei live?
Fossils of both Paranthropus walkeri and the more recent species Paranthropus boisei have been found in the countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania in east Africa. Fossils of Paranthropus robustus have been excavated from South Africa, including over 100 specimens from the limestone cave of Swartkrans.
Why did Paranthropus boisei go extinct?
When was Paranthropus boisei found?
1964
hominin (of human lineage) species Paranthropus boisei containing a complete set of adult teeth. It was found in 1964 at Peninj, a locale in Tanzania to the west of Lake Natron and about 80 km (50 miles) from Olduvai Gorge, a major paleoanthropological site.
How old is Dearboy?
Who discovered the Australopithecus boisei?
archaeologist Mary Leakey
Reconstructed replica of “Nutcracker Man,” a 1.75-million-year-old Paranthropus boisei skull found in 1959 by archaeologist Mary Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
Why were the boisei at an evolutionary dead end?
What kind of animal was the boisei hominid?
Australopithecus boisei. [boi-sey] noun. an extinct species of very rugged, large-toothed bipedal hominid, formerly known as Zinjanthropus boisei, that lived in eastern Africa one to two million years ago. a fossil belonging to this species.
Where did p.boisei come from in the evolutionary tree?
Evolutionary Tree Information: P. boisei is usually thought to descend from earlier P. aethiopicus (who inhabited the same geographic area just a few hundred thousand years before) and lived alongside several other species of early humans during its 1.1 million year existence.
Where did the Australopithecus boisei live in Africa?
Australopithecus boisei. an extinct species of very rugged, large-toothed bipedal hominid, formerly known as Zinjanthropus boisei, that lived in eastern Africa one to two million years ago. a fossil belonging to this species.
What kind of human is Paranthropus boisei from?
Paranthropus boisei. P. boisei is usually thought to descend from earlier P. aethiopicus (who inhabited the same geographic area just a few hundred thousand years before) and lived alongside several other species of early humans during its 1.1 million year existence. P. boisei belongs to just one of the many side branches of human evolution,…