Ancient Fossilized Footprints Indicate Cohabitation of Two Hominin Species 1.5 Million Years Back
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have uncovered evidence of two early human species, Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, coexisting in ancient Africa approximately 1.5 million years ago. The findings, published today in the journal Science, were made at a fossil site near the modern Lake Turkana.
The distinctive footprints, fossilized in an ancient lake's mud, provide a tantalizing glimpse into the behavioural ecology of these contemporary hominin species. According to the research team, if the hominins who made the prints didn't overlap at the site, they crossed it within hours of one another.
Homo erectus, known for being an agile, upright walker, made its way out of Africa as far as eastern Asia. On the other hand, Paranthropus boisei, with its broad face and the largest teeth of any primate, had a different story. Despite their distinct differences in diet and life history, the coexistence of these species offers intriguing insights into their shared environment and potential interactions.
Last year, a set of three-million-year-old tools were found alongside Paranthropus remains, suggesting our hominin relatives may have been butchering critters long before anatomically modern humans came along. This discovery further emphasizes the complexity and sophistication of these early human species.
The study by Hatala et al. suggests that Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei lived in the same geographic area and had low levels of competition. This is supported by another finding in 2020, where a skull cap belonging to a Homo erectus toddler was found alongside cranial remains of Paranthropus boisei in South Africa's Drimolen site.
Meanwhile, a different paper published earlier this year posited that the 'hobbits' of Flores (Homo floresiensis) descended from Homo erectus in Java. This further underscores the intricate web of evolutionary relationships among early human species.
The ancient lakefront near the modern Lake Turkana was used by both Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, providing an amazing window into the history of our family tree. However, plenty of questions remain about how these hominins made use of their environment and how they may have engaged with one another.
More fossil evidence could help explain these interactions of ancient hominins that overlapped not just in time, but in geography. The recently studied fossil site offers a wealth of information that could shed light on the behavioural ecology of these early human species and their place in our evolutionary history.
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