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last mo.

Nature Study Links 2009 Burtele Foot to Australopithecus deyiremeda

New jaws and teeth from Burtele tie the foot to a more primitive, partly arboreal hominin with a predominantly C3 diet.

Der berühmte Urmensch Lucy hatte womöglich wirklich einen Nachbarn: Neu entdeckte Fossilien in Äthiopien haben Forscher in der These bestärkt, dass es damals noch andere Frühmenschen gab.
Image
Diese 3,4 Millionen Jahre alten Kiefer-Fragmente und Knochenstückchen stammen vom Vormenschen Australopithecus deyiremeda. © Yohannes Haile-Selassie/ Arizona State University

Overview

  • The research team reports a mandible with 12 teeth plus additional dental, pelvic, and cranial fragments from Burtele dated to about 3.4 million years, enabling the formal assignment of the foot.
  • Yohannes Haile-Selassie states they have no doubt the Burtele foot belongs to the same species as the newly recovered dental remains.
  • Comparative anatomy indicates an opposable big toe and other climbing-related traits alongside terrestrial bipedalism, marking Au. deyiremeda as more primitive than Au. afarensis.
  • Enamel isotope evidence points to primary reliance on C3 plants for Au. deyiremeda, contrasting with Au. afarensis’ use of C4 resources and implying ecological separation that could explain coexistence.
  • Commentary by Fred Spoor says the findings bolster recognition of Au. deyiremeda as a valid species and may challenge the view that Au. afarensis was the sole ancestral lineage to later hominins.