Australopithecus africanus Cranium Sts 71

BH-035 $219.00

2.5 MYA. A. africanus Sts 71 was discovered by R. Broom and J. Robinson in 1947 at Sterkfontein, South Africa, and described by Broom and Robinson in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology in 1949. Broom initially classified Sts 71 as female because the face projects so little, less in fact than other known females found at Sterkfontein. Other attributes of the face, however, pointed toward male: its robustness and the large size of the postcanine teeth. The researcher John Wallace determined that the Sts 36 mandible, whose great size and big teeth suggested male, was associated with the Sts 71 cranium, based on similarities in tooth wear. However, the small degree of facial projection in this male specimen raises the possibility that Sterkfontein was populated by multiple hominid species.

The Bone Clones® Fossil Hominid line is composed of discoveries from anatomically modern humans, archaic humans, early Homo, early hominins, and other hominids. The majority of the casts in this line have been recreated by our team of anatomical sculptors. Some are reconstructions made by anthropology professionals using fragmentary elements from original discoveries and extrapolating the missing parts from those (i.e. Neanderthal skeleton). A small portion of the fossil hominid line has been cast from original material. 

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