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The Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng, South Africa) provides an important fossil record of the evolutionary history of PlioPleistocene hominins. Cooper's Cave deposits have yielded a rich fossil faunal assemblage, as well as six remains attributed to Paranthropus robustus. This study provides the first taxonomic, taphonomic and palaeoecological description of the micromammal material from the 1.4 Ma assemblage of Cooper's D. The taphonomic signature of the assemblage indicates an accumulation by tytonid owls (probably Tyto alba) and advanced postdepositional disturbance probably related to trampling by the occupants of the cave, sorting of the bones along slope, and burying. The taxonomic analysis undertaken here at genus level describes at least 22 taxa of small mammals, including one extinct genus Proodontomys. This assemblage is dominated by Mystromys and Otomys, two rodent genera adapted to grassland habitats which are among the most common among pliopleistocene micromammal faunas from the region. The palaeoecological analysis suggests an open landscape with a predominance of grassland and savanna vegetation, and the proximity of rocky outcrops and a perennial river. These results support previous indications of a shift in the African climate and vegetation towards more open habitats during the Early Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enigmatic frog ilia were recovered from two geographically and temporally disparate fossil sites in South Africa, namely the Early Pliocene (5.1 Ma) fossil site of Langebaanweg (south-western Cape), and Cooper's Cave D (Northern province), which dates to around 1.38 Ma. The fossil ilia appear to represent an extinct anuran genus that subsisted in southern Africa over several million years, had a previously undocumented mode of locomotion, and possibly exceptional jumping ability. Relative to extant anurans, the fossil ilia show a unique suite of characteristics pertaining to the acetabulum, dorsal protuberance, ventral ridge of the shaft, and dorsal crest; features which would have facilitated and stabilised jumping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A fossilised large mammal bonebed was discovered eroding out of a gully in the Free State of South Africa. The bonebed is ∼1.5 m below the modern land surface, and extends over an area 35 × 13 m. Surface scatters of stone tools occur in a 1 km radius of the site, and a large fire place associated with spirally fractured burnt bone is preserved to one side. The purpose of this research was to excavate and taphonomically analyse the faunal sample to elicit the cause of death, and radiocarbon date it to establish when it happened. The bonebed is represented by black wildebeest, including juvenile and adult individuals. Faunal remains are randomly oriented and many are complete. Weathering stage 1 on most of the bones together with the articulation pattern suggest that the carcasses were exposed for more than a year and less than three before being buried by hillslope sediment. Two-thirds of those fractured record a spiral breakage pattern. There are a few trample marks on bones and evidence of some termite activity. No stone tools were found in the section of bonebed we excavated, and there is no evidence of manmade or carnivore damage on the fauna. Calcrete nodules in the underlying deposits and phytoliths representative of desertification throughout the sedimentary sequence suggest that the animals died under drought conditions between 3840 ± 40 and 3500 ± 40 cal BP, and that human activity at the site was marginal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A partial hominin skull (COB 101) was identified in the fossil collections of the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, attributed to the Cooper's Cave site in South Africa. The find represents the most complete hominin specimen recovered from localities at this site to date. COB 101 comprises the supraorbital, zygomatic, infraorbital and nasoalveolar regions of the right side, and the right upper third premolar. The specimen has undergone post-depositional distortion that resulted in the flattening of the facial structures. Here we describe and compare COB 101 with other hominin material from Africa and find that this specimen shares numerous diagnostic features with Paranthropus robustus. The discovery of COB 101 augments the number of specimens attributed to this species from other South African sites and other Cooper's Cave localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SKW 18, a partial hominin cranium recovered from the site of Swartkrans, South Africa, in 1968 is described. It is derived from ex situ breccia of the Ranging Remnant of Member 1, dated to approximately 1.5-1.8 Mya. Although partially encased in breccia, it was refit to the facial fragment SK 52 (Clarke [1977] The Cranium of the Swartkrans Rominid SK 847 and Its Relevance to Human Origins, Ph.D. dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg), producing the composite cranium SKW 18/SK 52. Subsequent preparation revealed the most complete cranial base attributable to the species Australopithecus robustus. SKW 18 suffered weathering and slight postdepositional distortion, but retains considerable anatomical detail. The composite cranium most likely represents a large, subadult male, based on the incomplete fusion of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis; unerupted third molar; pronounced development of muscular insertions; and large teeth. Cranial base measures of SKW 18 expand the range of values previously recorded for A. robustus. SKW 18 provides information on anatomical features not previously visible in this taxon, and expands our knowledge of morphological variability recognizable in the cranial base. Morphological heterogeneity in the development of the prevertebral and nuchal muscular insertions is likely the result of sexual dimorphism in A. robustus, while differences in cranial base angles and the development of the occipital/marginal sinus drainage system cannot be attributed to size dimorphism. [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]

The Cooper's D deposit has been dated by U-Pb at a maximum age of 1.37 Ma ± 0.113 and has yielded seven Hominini remains, six of them are attributed to the Southern African endemic species Paranthropus robustus Broom, 1938. However, the taxonomic composition of the faunal assemblage recovered at this site, especially ruminants, remains poorly understood. This paper updates the previous palaeontological and biochronological works and provides the first taxonomic description and paleoecological analysis of the whole bovid material from Cooper's D. We propose a minimum age of 1.0 Ma for the Cooper's D bone accumulation. Thus, we conclude that the assemblage accumulated between 1.375 ± 0.113 and 1.0 Ma based on the complementary results obtained from radiometric dates and biochronology. The paleoecological analysis suggests that Cooper's D is likewise dominated by grassland with sparse covered habitat and probable water sources in the vicinity. Finally, we show a strong statistically significant negative correlation between the presence of grassland-adapted bovid species and P. robustus. This result indicates that P. robustus was more likely to be an eurytopic species and dietary generalist than an exclusive grazer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional methods for extracting fossilised bones from calcified clastic sediments, using air drills or chemical preparations, can damage specimens to the point of rendering them unidentifiable. As an alternative, we tested an in silico approach that extended preparation and identification possibilities beyond those realisable using physical methods, ultimately proving to be crucial in identifying a fragile fossil. Image data from a matrix-encased hemi-mandible of a micromammal that was collected from the Plio-Pleistocene site of Malapa, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, were acquired using microtomography. From the resultant images, a 3D rendering of the fossil was digitally segmented. Diagnostic morphologies were evaluated on the rendering for comparison with extant comparative specimens, positively identifying the specimen as an elephant shrew (Elephantulus sp.). This specimen is the first positively identified micromammal in the Malapa faunal assemblage. Cutting-edge in silico preparation technology provides a novel tool for identifying fossils without endangering bone integrity, as is commonly risked with physical preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Australopithecus robustus is one of the best represented hominin taxa in Africa, with hundreds of specimens recovered from six fossil localities in the Bloubank Valley area of Gauteng Province, South Africa. However, precise geochronological ages are presently lacking for these fossil cave infills. In this paper, we provide a detailed geological background to a series of hominin fossils retrieved from the newly investigated deposit of Cooper''s D (located partway between Sterkfontein and Kromdraai in the Bloubank Valley), including uranium-lead (U-Pb) ages for speleothem material associated with A. robustus. U-Pb dating of a basal speleothem underlying the entire deposit results in a maximum age of 1.526 (±0.088) Ma for Cooper''s D. A second U-Pb date of ca. 1.4Ma is produced from a flowstone layer above this basal speleothem; since this upper flowstone is not a capping flowstone, and fossiliferous sediments are preserved above this layer, some of the hominins might be slightly younger than the calculated age. As a result, we can broadly constrain the age of the hominins from Cooper''s D to between 1.5 and approximately 1.4Ma. Extinct fauna recorded in this comparatively young deposit raise the possibility that the Bloubank Valley region of South Africa represented a more stable environmental refugium for taxa relative to tectonically more active East Africa. The sediments of the deposit likely infilled rapidly during periods when arid conditions prevailed in the paleoenvironment, although it is unclear whether sediment deposition and bone deposition were necessarily contemporaneous occurrences. We reconstruct the paleoenvironment of Cooper''s D as predominantly grassland, with nearby woodlands and a permanent water source. The hominin teeth recovered from Cooper''s D are all from juveniles and can be confidently assigned to A. robustus. In addition, two juvenile mandibular fragments and an adult thoracic vertebra are tentatively attributed to A. robustus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]

Here we provide a multiproxy record of climate change and human occupation at Wonderkrater, a spring and peat mound site situated in the interior of southern Africa. Recently extracted sediment cores yielded a number of Middle Stone Age (MSA) artefacts, prompting exploratory excavation of the sediments to understand better the geomorphology of the site, age of the sediments, cultural lithic sequence, vegetation and faunal remains, and to try to establish whether human use of the site was to some extent climatically driven. Excavations yielded late Pleistocene mammal fauna and flora, and three small MSA lithic assemblages with age estimates of 30 ka, >45 ka and 138.01 ± 7.7 ka. The upper layers comprise peat that preserves macrobotanical and faunal remains, implying local fen conditions in Acacia savanna woodland at 12 ka. Below the upper peat layers, a 1 m-thick layer of white sand yielded two MSA lithic assemblages in association with faunal remains dated to between 30.8 ± 0.7 ka and >45 ka. Clay underlying the sand has an OSL age of 63.1 ± 5.8 ka, and sandy peat below it has an Infrared Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) age of 70 ± 10 ka. Faunal remains in the lower sand levels, and dental stable carbon isotope analysis of herbivores, indicate a substantial grassland component in the landscape during late MIS 3 (>45 ka). Charcoal, phytolith and pollen data show a change from moderately warm and dry grassy savanna woodland in the lower sand levels, to cooler and wetter grassland with woody shrubs in the uppermost levels by 30 ka. The conditions that resulted in the deposition of the sand also attracted people to the site, but whether it served as an oasis in an arid landscape, or was occupied during wet phases, is unclear. The composition of the lithic assemblages, which include many tools suitable for cutting, suggest that the peat mound may have been used as a place to harvest reeds, process plant materials and butcher animals that were either deliberately or accidentally trapped in mud or peat. [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]

We describe the geological, geochronological, geomorphological, and faunal context of the Malapa site and the fossils of Australopithecus sediba. The hominins occur with a macrofauna assemblage that existed in Africa between 2.36 and 1.50 million years ago (Ma). The fossils are encased in water-laid, clastic sediments that were deposited along the lower parts of what is now a deeply eroded cave system, immediately above a flowstone layer with a U-Pb date of 2.026 ± 0.021 Ma. The flowstone has a reversed paleomagnetic signature and the overlying hominin-bearing sediments are of normal polarity, indicating deposition during the 1.95- to 1.78-Ma Olduvai Subchron. The two hominin specimens were buried together in a single debris flow that lithified soon after deposition in a phreatic environment inaccessible to scavengers. [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]

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.