Dramatic new fossil discovery at Drimolen An almost-complete two million year old hominid skull has been found at Drimolen in the Sterkfontein World Heritage Site area. The fossil, discovered by Dr Andre Keyser, is that of a robust ape man, Australopithecus robustus, a species believed to have become extinct about one million years ago. It was revealed to the world at a press conference held in Johannesburg in April 2000. The skull, believed to be that of a female, is one of the most complete of its kind yet found. Associated with the it was the mandible of a male member of the same species, prompting excavators to dub the pair Orpheus and Euclydites. Keyser says that Drimolen has the potential to be one of the richest hominid sites in South Africa, having already yielded some 80 specimens of robust ape men and a number of Homo fossils. Keyser originally found Drimolen in 1992 and came out of retirement to lead a Wits University team which is excavating the site. Only 5% of the 6 000 square metre site has so far been examined. Among the more unusual fossils that have come from Drimolen have been the remains of a year-old Homo infant - to date the first in the world - as well as several juvenile robustus. Sharpened bone tools have also been discovered at Drimolen prompting scientists to speculate that our genus Homo was not the first tool-maker. However, because the fossils of the various species have been mixed up, it is not possible to determine at this stage exactly who the tool-makers were. A robustus is characterized by its massive teeth and jaws. This was because their diet consisted mainly of vegetable matter with a low nutritional value. They spent most of the day chewing roots, tubers and grasses. Although their skulls were proportionately far bigger than those of modern humans, their bodies were probably not much bigger than chimpanzees. The robusts were sexually dimorphic - males were far bigger than females, and they probably lived in social groupings similar to those of the mountain gorilla in central Africa. There is uncertainty as to where A robustus fits into the human family tree. Scientists generally agree that it is part of an evolutionary cul de sac, having evolved from one of the earlier ape men, such as A africanus or A afarensis before eventually drifting into extinction. There are three known species of robust ape men. The other two - A boseii and A aethiopicus - have only been found in East Africa. It has not been finally determined whether or not these robust ape man species were all related or whether they were genetically separate adaptations to a changing African environment. What is clear is that before their appearance on the African savannah, the continent's climate had changed dramatically, as more arid conditions led to an advance of the grasslands and an erosion of the tropical forests which were the original habitat of hominid ancestors. ©Copyright Prime Origins 2001 CONTACT BRETT HILTON-BARBER primeorigins.co.za is an iafrica.com Private Label site

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