The Makapansgat Hominins: A Descriptive and Comparative Morphological Study

The primary focus of this thesis is to extensively describe the cranial, mandibular, and dental specimens from Makapansgat and to compare the assemblage to other South African early hominin samples. The fossils examined here include previously undescribed fossils from the fossiliferous ex-situ breccia piles of the Makapansgat Limeworks. Data analyses incorporated extant humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and macaques to provide a comparative base with which to discuss intraspecific and interspecific variation in currently recognized taxa of South African <italic>Australopithecus<italic>. Results support previous assertions that the Makapansgat specimens share morphological similarities with both <italic>Australopithecus africanus<italic> and <italic>Australopithecus robustus<italic> and that these taxa exhibit considerable overlap in variation. The Makapansgat hominins are distinct in some features, but several competing scenarios are viable. These results are discussed in light of current knowledge and phylogenetic hypotheses for South African early hominin evolution. A taxonomic distinction for the Makapansgat hominins: <italic>A. prometheus<italic>) is not recommended due to limitations of the small sample. However, these hominins compose the earliest known South African hominin sample and contribute a critical geographic and temporal element, as well as a biologically meaningful and unique pattern of morphological variation, for early hominin studies.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Anthropology

Year dc:date.available

2010

Author dc:creator

• Arbor, Tafline

Contributors dc:contributor

• Glenn Conroy

• Anthropology
• Physical
• A. africanus
• A. robustus
• Australopithecus
• Human evolution
• Makapansgat
• morphometric

Language dc:language

English (en)

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7936/K7H70CS5

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:openscholarship.wustl.edu:etd-1021