A Juvenile Early Hominin Skeleton from Dikika, Ethiopia.
From: Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. zeray@eva.mpg.de
Nature
- Publish Date: Sep 2006
- ISSN: 1476-4687
- Volume: 443
- Issue: 7109
- Pages: 296-301
- Medium: Internet
- Language: English
- Citation (JAMA): Alemseged Zeresenay, Spoor Fred, Kimbel William H, et al. A Juvenile Early Hominin Skeleton from Dikika, Ethiopia.. Nature Sep 2006;443:296-301
Abstract
Understanding changes in ontogenetic development is central to the study of human evolution. With the exception of Neanderthals, the growth patterns of fossil hominins have not been studied comprehensively because the fossil record currently lacks specimens that document both cranial and postcranial development at young ontogenetic stages. Here we describe a well-preserved 3.3-million-year-old juvenile partial skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis discovered in the Dikika research area of Ethiopia. The skull of the approximately three-year-old presumed female shows that most features diagnostic of the species are evident even at this early stage of development. The find includes many previously unknown skeletal elements from the Pliocene hominin record, including a hyoid bone that has a typical African ape morphology. The foot and other evidence from the lower limb provide clear evidence for bipedal locomotion, but the gorilla-like scapula and long and curved manual phalanges raise new questions about the importance of arboreal behaviour in the A. afarensis locomotor repertoire.
Mesh Headings (Keywords): Aging, Animals, Ethiopia, Female, Fossils, Gait, History, Ancient, Hominidae, Humans, Sex Characteristics, Skeleton, Skull, Time Factors
Check for Full Text / PubMed Unique Identifier (PMID): 16988704
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