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Swartkrans Paranthropus and Sterkfontein Australopithecus had different locomotor repertoires

Paranthropus robustus from southern Africa combined upright walking and more frequent climbing than the older Australopithecus in the same region

The first articulating hip, thigh, and shin bones of Paranthropus robustus from South Africa - a prehistoric hominin relative of modern humans - reveal through their internal bone structures that this extinct species combined both upright walking and likely more frequent climbing than the older Australopithecus who lived in the same region. This research shows these two hominins had distinct ways of moving and living within a similar environment.

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© Christopher M. Smith