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Sizable assemblages of Early Pleistocene stone tools are very rare from Cradle of Humankind sites. Renewed excavations at Cooper's D have resulted in the recovery of 49 stone artefacts. We report on the newly-recovered stone tools from Cooper's and make comparisons with the Early Pleistocene assemblages from the two major Cradle sites, Sterkfontein and Swartkrans. This new assemblage expands the record of Early Pleistocene stone tools in South Africa and also provides insight into the variability that exists among these early artefact-bearing hominin sites. In contrast with the large site accumulations found at Sterkfontein and Swartkrans, the Cooper's assemblage reflects a more limited use of the site, with hominids predominantly accessing raw material from nearby outcrops. This pattern contrasts with Sterkfontein and Swartkrans where long-term accumulations are well represented. The small size of the Cooper's assemblage is due to the vagaries of site preservation in a karst cavern setting, where only more regular occupations near gravels used for raw material resulted in larger accumulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new partial cranium (UW 88-886) of the Plio-Pleistocene baboon Papio angusticeps from Malapa is identified, described and discussed. UW 88-886 represents the only non-hominin primate yet recovered from Malapa and is important both in the context of baboon evolution as well as South African hominin site biochronology. The new specimen may represent the first appearance of modern baboon anatomy and coincides almost perfectly with molecular divergence date estimates for the origin of the modern P. hamadryas radiation. The fact that the Malapa specimen is dated between ~2.026–2.36 million years ago (Ma) also has implications for the biochronology of other South African Plio-Pleistocene sites where P. angusticeps is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooper's D deposit lias an abundant large-bodied papionin assemblage. The assemblage consists of Theropithecus, Papio and Gorgopithecus. In addition, Cooper's D has yielded fossils of the early hominin Paranthropus robustus, which raises the question of how these four large-bodied, mostly terrestrial, primates sympatrically utilised the landscape. The abundance of primate remains found in the Plio-Pleistocene caves of South Africa is often interpreted as evidence of selective predation byfelids or hyaenids. Here we present results of a taphonomic analysis of the 1.5-1.4 Ma year old primate assemblage from the Cooper's D locality (Bloubank Valley, South Africa) and a description and identification of associated coprolites. The fossil faeces are attributed to Parahyaena brunnea. A few primate remains, including some specimens of P robustus, were collected and modified by carnivores, most likely leopards and hyaenas. However, the abundance of juvenile and subadult primates, the geomorphology of the cave and the low impact of carnivore damage on the bones, argue in favour of the occupation of the cave by large-bodied cercopithecids followed by the natural death of some individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carnivores have long been identified as one of the most important taphonomical agents of the Plio-Pleistocene hominin-bearing caves of South Africa. Cooper's D is an eroded cave deposit dated between 1.3 and 1.0 Ma and has yielded an abundant and diverse large mammal faunal assemblage. It has been previously argued that brown hyenas (Parahyaena brunnea) were the main accumulator agent. However, more recently the involvement of hominins has also been identified in the accumulation of at least a part of the assemblage. In this paper, we first describe the composition of the carnivore paleoguild from Cooper's D, which permits to highlight an important taxonomic diversity. The completeness indexes indicate good retention of bone material in our analysis. The carnivore ravaging index pointed out the relative moderate impact of carnivores in the destruction of the bone assemblage. Through skeletal part representation, mortality profiles and bone surface modifications, we argue that large felids, and especially leopards, can in fact be identified as the most probable main taphonomic agents. Moreover, we confirmed the involvement of hyenids but also canids in the accumulation and modification of the assemblage. Based on the multiple carnivore taphonomic signal, we proposed that the cave was not used as a carnivore den on a regular basis. Thus, we argue that Cooper's D faunal assemblage is the result of the independent accumulations of both hominins and carnivores. • We provide the first detailed study of the carnivore bone assemblage from Cooper's D. • Several carnivore taxa have accumulated and modified the bone assemblage. • Canids could have been important taphonomic agents. • The bone assemblage has been independently accumulated by hominins and carnivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kromdraai is a Plio-Pleistocene site located in the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng Province, South Africa). It has produced diverse and abundant faunal assemblages and key hominin specimens like the holotype of Paranthropus robustus and early Homo. We provide the first taxonomic study of the Bovidae Family from the hominin-bearing Unit P at Kromdraai and discuss its potential to unravel its paleoecological context. We describe the presence of an unknown medium-sized buffalo (Syncerus sp.) that could be closely related to S. acoelotus. The bovid assemblage from Kromdraai Unit P combines older Plio-Pleistocene (Gazella gracilior , Makapania broomi, Numidocapra cf. porrocornutus) and younger Pleistocene taxa (Tragelaphus strepsiceros , Oreotragus oreotragus , Raphicerus campestris , Damaliscus lunatus). Overall, these bovid species indicate a grassland-dominated environment for Unit P. Comparisons with other Plio-Pleistocene South African sites indicate that Australopithecus was associated with woodland and closed-wet environment-adapted taxa, whereas Homo was found in association with bovid species adapted to open and dry environments. In contrast, the assemblages associated with Paranthropus show an extensive range of environmental adaptation among the bovids. The biochronology indicates that Kromdraai Unit P accumulated between 2.9 and 1.8 Ma. If Kromdraai Unit P were to be confirmed to date to the older end of this scale, it would provide the earliest appearance of Paranthropus robustus , Numidocapra , and Damaliscus in southern Africa. • Taxonomic description of the Bovid assemblage from Kromdraai Unit P. • Bovids indicate an age between 2.9 and 1.8 Ma. • Australopithecus is associated with woodland and closed-wet environment-adapted bovid species. • Homo is associated with open and dry environments-adapted bovid species. • Paranthropus assemblages show an extensive range of environmental adaptation among the bovids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several large-bodied hominin and nonhuman primates have coexisted in the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa during the Early Pleistocene. Previous paleoenvironmental studies regarding the Plio-Pleistocene of South Africa have focused heavily on mammal assemblages. Here, we conducted a comprehensive taxonomic analysis of the fossil bird remains from Cooper's D, the most fossiliferous locality of the hominin-bearing Cooper's Cave complex in South Africa. Our taxonomic evaluation of 505 remains reveals the presence of 23 bird taxa, two of which are extinct and already reported from the nearby fossil locality of Kromdraai. The taxonomically diverse bird assemblage is dominated by Francolinus sp. and other species associated with open grassland habitats, followed by rock-dwelling species, including Tyto cf. alba and the extinct Corvus bragai , and by woodland species such as Agapornis sp., Accipiter melanoleucos , and the extinct Glaucidium ireneae. The occurrence of these taxa and their respective proportions in the assemblage, in terms of both numbers of bones and individuals, point to the presence of extensive open grassland and/or savannah with rocky outcrops and woodland. These findings corroborate previous analyses of mammals from Cooper's D, with the exception of aquatic species, which are rare in the bird assemblage. Comparison with older deposits from Kromdraai confirms the definitive establishment of open habitats in the Cradle of Humankind during the Early Pleistocene following a transition from woodier habitats during the Late Pliocene. This study constitutes a further step in investigating the fossil bird diversity in the Cradle of Humankind during the Plio-Pleistocene. Our results add to the larger body of work using avian fossils for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in Africa and support the utility of birds as paleoenvironmental proxies. Similar future studies will refine our understanding of the paleoenvironments and landscape transformation during the Plio-Pleistocene, a critical timeframe for hominin evolution in southern Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of the consumption of meat through hunting or scavenging by Early Pleistocene hominins is scarce, particularly in South Africa. Moreover, the interpretations of taphonomic evidence are subject to an important discussion commonly called the 'hunting-vs-scavenging debate.' Until today, only the Swartkrans Members 1–3 site has yielded a butchered bone assemblage large enough to permit reconstruction of carcass acquisition strategies by Early Pleistocene hominins in South Africa. This leaves an information gap between 1.4 and 1.0 Ma. Here, we provide the first evidence of meat consumption by hominins during this gap, based on the zooarchaeological study of the large mammal bone assemblage recovered from the Cooper's D site, South Africa. Based on skeletal part representation, our results show density-mediated attrition of bovid bones due to predepositional and postdepositional destruction. We argue that this attrition is the result of both abiotic (i.e., decalcification) and biotic (i.e., carnivore ravaging) processes. Bovid mortality profiles point out the involvement of ambush predators such as large felids. Bone surface modifications also indicate that the assemblage has been accumulated mostly by carnivores but with some hominin involvement as well. We observe all the stages of animal carcass processing (skinning, disarticulation, defleshing, marrow extraction) as well as the exploitation of a diversity of prey size classes at both Swartkrans Members 1–3 and Cooper's D. Thus, our study shows the importance of the Cooper's D bone assemblage for understanding Early Pleistocene hominin subsistence behaviors. Moreover, this article highlights the need for including long bone flake specimens in the analysis of large bone assemblages from South African caves to better understand the Early Pleistocene hominin bone damage record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]