Comparison of Holocene temperature data (Boomplaas Cave) and oxygen isotope data (Cango Caves)

NCS201

The Piltdown case: Further questions

NCS201

The possibility of lichen growth on bones of Homo naledi: Were they exposed to light?

NCS201

Morphometric analysis of modern human crania: a framework for assessing early Pleistocene homonids

Craniofacial measurements have been obtained from modern human skulls from cadavers representing several southern African population groups including Ndebele, Shangaan, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Xhosa and Zulu, in addition to European Homo sapiens. The measurements were obtained from crania in the Dart Collection housed at the School of Anatomical Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand. Pairwise comparisons, using least squares linear regression analysis of cranial measurements, were used to calculate the standard error of them-coefficient associated with the general equation y = mx + c, where m is the slope of the regression line. The standard error of the m-coefficient is a measure of the degree of similarity between specimens. Log transformed s.e.m values (log s.e.m) show a normal distribution with a mean value of –1.84 ± 0.087 (n = 384 pairwise comparisons). These results can be used as a frame of reference for comparing Early Pleistocene specimens. For example, a comparison between KNM-ER 1813 (attributed to H. habilis) and KNM-ER 3733 (attributed to H. erectus or H. ergaster) is associated with a log s.e.m value of –1.844. Despite differences in size, these two penecontemporary hominid fossils are associated with a high probability of conspecificity, since the log s.e.m value is identical to the mean log s.e.m value of –1.84 obtained for pairwise comparisons of modern Homo sapiens

A probabilistic definition of a species, fuzzy boundaries and 'sigma taxonomy'

No abstract available.EM201

Zebras from Wonderwerk cave, northern Cape Province, South Africa: attempts to distinguish Equus burchelli and E. quagga.

Measurements obtained from Equus burchelli and E. quagga specimens in various museum collections are compared against corresponding measurements on equid teeth from Holocene deposits at Wonderwerk cave, situated near the N limit of the historically known distribution of the partially striped (now extinct) E. quagga and near the S limit of E. burchelli. Entoflexid length of the 4th lower premolar appears to be a potential parameter for distinguishing the 2 taxa. Results support a suggestion that E. quagga may have been a S variant of E. burchelli, rather than a distinct species.-Autho

Article Plio-Pleistocene Hyracoidea from Swartkrans Cave, South Africa

Swartkrans Cave, an important Pleistocene hominid site in the Sterklontein valley, has yielded abundant fossil hyracoid remains. Two extinct taxa, Procavia antiqua and P. transvaalensis, have been previously reported to occur at the site in deposits postdating 1,8 million years before the present (B.P.). The extant taxon, P. capensis, has been reported in the most recent deposits, thought to include the Terminal Pleistocene. However, statistical analyses of teeth suggest that P. antiqua and P. capensis are conspecific. P. transvaalensis differs from P. capensis by being larger and more hypsodont. The coexistence of these taxa in palaeoenvironments of the Sterkfontein valley is attributed to dietary differences: P. transvaalensis being dependent primarily on grass foliage in grassland habitats, P. capensis being a generalist, feeding on a range of different kinds of vegetation in rocky habitats. Hypoconid-metaconid distances, previously used by Broom to distinguish taxa, are shown to be related to individual age. Crown height data of molars are used to generate age distributions, and incisors are used to obtain sex ratios, Predation on adults of P. transvaalensis, Irom populations associated with a sex ratio biased towards males. may have contributed to the decline in relative abundance and ultimate extinction of this species towards the end of the Pleistocene. Predators can have included leopards, black eagles and/or hominids

Pleistocene molluscs from Klasies River (South Africa): Reconstructing the local coastal environment

We explore if taxonomic analysis of archaeological mollusc assemblages can be used to reconstruct Late Pleistocene (MIS 5–3) coastal environments at Klasies River in South Africa. To obtain a balanced reconstruction, we analyse the large molluscs separately from the so-called incidentals, the small mollusc species. Based on modern mollusc habitat preferences and tolerances we identify four different eco-profiles to help characterise sea surface temperatures and the character of the shore: temperature profile; geographical distribution; substrate; wave interaction. We hypothesise that changes in the Klasies River mollusc community/eco-profiles can be linked to global glacial and interglacial events and we define several testable assumptions. We found that in response to global warming and cooling events, the Klasies River mollusc communities change slightly, yet significantly. Other sources of marine environmental data confirm that average sea surface temperatures gradually decreased, but probably remained within the modern southern east coast range of variation. It appears that coastal sea surface temperatures of the warm Agulhas current were not particularly depressed during the occupation sequence. The character of the coastal topography does change more apparently during the occupation sequence of the sites and with it the mollusc assemblages: from an interglacial rocky shore in the Klasies and two Mossel Bay phases to a more glacial sandy environment during the Howiesons Poort and the MSA III. In conclusion, the temperature tolerance levels of many Klasies River mollusc species are too broad to reflect small changes in sea surface temperatures. However, in conjunction with other eco-profiles and environmental proxies, such as substrate requirements and oxygen isotopes, the temperature approximations are useful, particularly when evaluating large scale sea surface temperature fluctuations. For the characterisation of the shore and substrate we found the eco-profile approach very useful.Material Culture Studie

a specimen of Paranthropus robustus from Bolt’s Farm Caves system, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa?

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