1.4-million-year-old footprints reveal a surprisingly large human relative
Researchers discovered 1.4-million-year-old footprints in Kenya belonging to Paranthropus boisei, suggesting the species was larger than previously thought. The tracks provide a rare snapshot of behavior, indicating these human relatives reached heights of 1.8 meters.
Why it matters
This discovery challenges long-standing assumptions about the physical evolution and body size of early hominins relative to Homo erectus.
A remarkable set of fossil footprints from northern Kenya is offering scientists a rare glimpse of how an extinct human relative may have moved and interacted about 1.4 million years ago.
The tracks, preserved near an ancient lakeshore, appear to record eight Paranthropus boisei individuals occupying the same place at roughly the same time. Researchers describe the discovery as a snapshot of "fossil behavior" because, unlike bones that can accumulate over long periods, footprints can capture a brief moment in the lives of individuals.
The international team, made up of researchers from the US and Kenya, concluded that all eight trackmakers were likely adults. Several also appear to have been considerably larger than earlier estimates of Paranthropus boisei body size based on the limited skeletal remains available.
Ancient Footprints Reveal Unexpected Body Size
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