Paranthropus aethiopicus

Meaning of the name

"Next to human" from Ethiopia.

Dicovery site

East Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania).

Age

2.7–2.3 million years

Height and weight

1.1–1.4 m, 30–50 kg

Brain size

Relatively small brain volume: approx. 410 cm³

Body characteristics

Flewing forehead, low, elongated skullcap, massive over-eye bulges and strongly pronounced parietal crest as the base of powerful chewing muscles. Massive, broad face with prominent cheekbones (zygomatic bone).
The dark colouring of the protruding skull (hence the name "black skull") was caused by manganese deposits.

Teeth

Large, robust teeth, especially the molars, for crushing hard plant foods.

Habitat

Open savannahs, wooded areas and the banks of rivers and lakes.

Nutrition

Mainly herbivores; diet probably strongly specialised in hard plant parts such as roots, seeds and shells.

Tools

No reliable evidence of tool manufacture.

Best known find

KNM-WT 17000, the toothless black skull of a Paranthropus aethiopicus, was found in 1985 by Alan Walker in the West Turkana region of Kenya. This skull is considered one of the most important fossils for the understanding of early robust hominins.

Classification / comparisons with other finds

Paranthropus aethiopicus is considered the oldest representative of the robust Paranthropus lineage and is regarded as the ancestor of later robust species such as Paranthropus boisei (Kenya) and Paranthropus robustus (South Africa). The latter were considered to be anthropoids (Anthropus). The highly specialised masticatory apparatus gave them the status of a paralogue (para).
Paranthropus aethiopicus is a key piece in the understanding of early hominin evolution and ecological adaptation during the Pliocene in Africa.