Paranthropus robustus
| Paranthropus robustus Temporal range: Pliocene-Pleistocene | |
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| Original Skull of Paranthropus robustus at the Transvaal Museum | |
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| Species: | P. robustus |
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| †Paranthropus robustus Broom, 1938 | |
Paranthropus robustus (abbreviated P. robustus) is an extinct species of early hominin. It is one of the robust australopithecines.
P. robustus lived from about 1.8 to 1.2 million years ago.[1] It co-existed with early species of Homo.[2]
Fossils
[change | change source]All of the known fossils of P. robustus have come from the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa.[3] The first were discovered in 1938. After this discovery, anthropologist Robert Broom created the genus Paranthropus and placed this species into it.
Description
[change | change source]Size
[change | change source]P. robustus walked on two feet.[2] They were smaller than modern humans. On average, males may have been just 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) tall and weighed around 54 kg (119 pounds). Females may have been under 1 meter (3.3 feet) tall and weighed only 40 kg (88 pounds).[4] This difference in sizes between males and females is called sexual dimorphism.
The species' average brain size was 530 cc.[3] This is about the same size as a modern chimpanzee's brain.[4]
Tools
[change | change source]P. robustus probably had the physical ability to make tools.[3] However, scientists have not found any stone tools near P. robustus fossils. Still, studies suggest that they used bones as tools to dig in termite mounds for food.[1]
Diet
[change | change source]P. robustus had very heavy jaws and large teeth with thick enamel.[2] They also had large cheekbones and chewing muscles. These adaptations made it possible for P. robustus to eat hard, fibrous foods like roots, tubers, nuts, and seeds. The species probably had a generalist diet and may have also eaten soft fruits, young leaves, insects, and/or meat.[1] It would have gathered these things from its habitat of open woodland and savanna.[4]
Recent fossil discoveries suggest that P. robustus may have evolved these more powerful chewing muscles to adapt to climate change. Very tough or hard foods would have still been plentiful even as the climate became cooler and drier. Being able to eat these foods improved P. robustus's chances of survival.[5]
Evolution
[change | change source]P. robustus may have evolved from Australopithecus africanus.[3]
P. robustus is an "evolutionary dead end": it went extinct without ever evolving into a different species.[3]
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- 1 2 3 "Paranthropus robustus". The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
- 1 2 3 "First articulating leg of Paranthropus robustus discovered". www.mpg.de. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Welker, Barbara Helm (2017-06-13). "19. Paranthropus robustus". The History of Our Tribe: Hominini.
- 1 2 3 Foundation, Bradshaw. "Paranthropus robustus". Bradshaw Foundation. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
- ↑ "New Fossil of Extinct Human Relative | AMNH". American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2025-12-21.
