Australopithecus sediba: A New Species of Homo-Like Australopith from South Africa

Author

Lee R. Berger
Darryl J. de Ruiter
Steven E. Churchill

Files

Publication Date

April 2010

Abstract

Despite a rich African Plio-Pleistocene hominin fossil record, the ancestry of Homo and its relation to earlier australopithecines remain unresolved. Here we report on two partial skeletons with an age of 1.95 to 1.78 million years. The fossils were encased in cave deposits at the Malapa site in South Africa. The skeletons were found close together and are directly associated with craniodental remains. Together they represent a new species of Australopithecus that is probably descended from Australopithecus africanus. Combined craniodental and postcranial evidence demonstrates that this new species shares more derived features with early Homo than any other australopith species and thus might help reveal the ancestor of that genus.

Document Type

Article

Identifier

SFS0067316_00001

Recommended Citation

Berger, Lee R.; de Ruiter, Darryl J.; and Churchill, Steven E., "Australopithecus sediba: A New Species of Homo-Like Australopith from South Africa" (2010). KIP Articles. 401.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/401