Craig Feibel, a professor at Rutgers University, explained that these footprints, discovered on an ancient lake shore, indicate both species used the area within hours of each other. "Their presence on the same surface, made closely together in time, places the two species at the lake margin, using the same habitat," said Feibel. His expertise in stratigraphy and fossil dating confirmed the geological age and setting of the find.
This discovery, detailed in Science, highlights how these species adapted to a dynamic landscape. Hominins like Homo erectus, a direct ancestor of modern humans, and Paranthropus boisei, known for its robust features, exhibited upright postures and bipedal movement. However, their exact interactions remain a mystery, especially as Homo erectus thrived for over a million years, while Paranthropus boisei disappeared several hundred thousand years later.
Lead author Kevin Hatala of Chatham University emphasized the importance of such footprints: "Fossil footprints are exciting because they provide vivid snapshots that bring our fossil relatives to life. With these kinds of data, we can see how living individuals, millions of years ago, were moving around their environments and potentially interacting with each other."
Advanced 3D analysis revealed distinct anatomical and locomotion patterns in the two species. This innovative approach, funded by the National Science Foundation, is transforming how scientists interpret fossil evidence. "The team used cutting-edge 3D imaging technologies to create an entirely new way to look at footprints, which helps us understand human evolution," noted Rebecca Ferrell, an NSF program director.
The footprints were discovered in 2021 during excavations led by Louise Leakey and a local Kenyan team after heavy rains revealed surface fossils. Excavator Richard Loki identified the first hominin tracks amidst bird footprints. A follow-up excavation in 2022 confirmed the presence of multiple footprints.
Feibel noted the significance of this find as a form of "trace fossil," which records behavior rather than physical remains. Unlike bones that can be displaced, these footprints remain in their original location, providing irrefutable evidence of the species' contemporaneous presence. "This proves beyond any question that not only one, but two different hominins were walking on the same surface, literally within hours of each other," he said.
This discovery not only confirms hypotheses about the coexistence of these early humans but also deepens our understanding of their behaviors and adaptations in the Pleistocene Epoch.
Research Report:Footprint evidence for locomotor diversity and shared habitats among early Pleistocene hominins
Related Links
Department of Anthropology in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here
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