New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins
Laetoli is a well-known palaeontological locality in northern Tanzania whose outstanding record includes the earliest hominin footprints in the world (3.66 million years old), discovered in 1978 at Site G and attributed to Australopithecus afarensis. Here, we report hominin tracks unearthed in the n...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2016-12-01
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| Series: | eLife |
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| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/19568 |
| _version_ | 1811227855673098240 |
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| author | Fidelis T Masao Elgidius B Ichumbaki Marco Cherin Angelo Barili Giovanni Boschian Dawid A Iurino Sofia Menconero Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi Giorgio Manzi |
| author_facet | Fidelis T Masao Elgidius B Ichumbaki Marco Cherin Angelo Barili Giovanni Boschian Dawid A Iurino Sofia Menconero Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi Giorgio Manzi |
| author_sort | Fidelis T Masao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Laetoli is a well-known palaeontological locality in northern Tanzania whose outstanding record includes the earliest hominin footprints in the world (3.66 million years old), discovered in 1978 at Site G and attributed to Australopithecus afarensis. Here, we report hominin tracks unearthed in the new Site S at Laetoli and referred to two bipedal individuals (S1 and S2) moving on the same palaeosurface and in the same direction as the three hominins documented at Site G. The stature estimates for S1 greatly exceed those previously reconstructed for Au. afarensis from both skeletal material and footprint data. In combination with a comparative reappraisal of the Site G footprints, the evidence collected here embodies very important additions to the Pliocene record of hominin behaviour and morphology. Our results are consistent with considerable body size variation and, probably, degree of sexual dimorphism within a single species of bipedal hominins as early as 3.66 million years ago. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:49:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f5e149de03c4d0f8493f6340455c8ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:49:02Z |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f5e149de03c4d0f8493f6340455c8ae2022-12-22T03:37:53ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2016-12-01510.7554/eLife.19568New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early homininsFidelis T Masao0Elgidius B Ichumbaki1Marco Cherin2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4291-4372Angelo Barili3Giovanni Boschian4Dawid A Iurino5Sofia Menconero6https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2136-5837Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi7Giorgio Manzi8Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaDepartment of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaDipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, Università di Perugia, Perugia, Italy; PaleoFactory, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, ItalyGalleria di Storia Naturale, Centro d'Ateneo per i Musei Scientifici, Università di Perugia, Perugia, ItalyDipartimento di Biologia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, ItalyPaleoFactory, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, ItalyStudio Associato Grassi, Perugia, ItalyDipartimento di Biologia, Università di Firenze, Firenze, ItalyDipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, ItalyLaetoli is a well-known palaeontological locality in northern Tanzania whose outstanding record includes the earliest hominin footprints in the world (3.66 million years old), discovered in 1978 at Site G and attributed to Australopithecus afarensis. Here, we report hominin tracks unearthed in the new Site S at Laetoli and referred to two bipedal individuals (S1 and S2) moving on the same palaeosurface and in the same direction as the three hominins documented at Site G. The stature estimates for S1 greatly exceed those previously reconstructed for Au. afarensis from both skeletal material and footprint data. In combination with a comparative reappraisal of the Site G footprints, the evidence collected here embodies very important additions to the Pliocene record of hominin behaviour and morphology. Our results are consistent with considerable body size variation and, probably, degree of sexual dimorphism within a single species of bipedal hominins as early as 3.66 million years ago.https://elifesciences.org/articles/19568Australopithecus afarensisHomininiLaetolifootprintsPliocenebody size estimates |
| spellingShingle | Fidelis T Masao Elgidius B Ichumbaki Marco Cherin Angelo Barili Giovanni Boschian Dawid A Iurino Sofia Menconero Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi Giorgio Manzi New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins eLife Australopithecus afarensis Hominini Laetoli footprints Pliocene body size estimates |
| title | New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins |
| title_full | New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins |
| title_fullStr | New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins |
| title_full_unstemmed | New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins |
| title_short | New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins |
| title_sort | new footprints from laetoli tanzania provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins |
| topic | Australopithecus afarensis Hominini Laetoli footprints Pliocene body size estimates |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/19568 |
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