Peninj Mandible Explained

Catalog Number:Peninj 1
Common Name:Peninj Mandible
Species:Australopithecus boisei
Age:1.5 mya
Place Discovered:Peninj, Tanzania
Date Discovered:1964
Discovered By:Kamoya Kimeu, Richard Leakey

The Peninj Mandible(Peninj 1), also called Natron mandible,[1] is the fossilized lower jaw and teeth of an australopithecine specimen, likely that of Paranthropus boisei[2] or a similar population.[3] It was discovered in West Lake Natron,[4] in Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region of Tanzania by Kamoya Kimeu,[5] [6] Glynn Isaac, and Richard Leakey in 1964.[7]

This mandible (jaw) is estimated to be 1.5 million years old[2] and it is characterized as having a robust build with large molars and reduced incisors.[8] The specimen is believed to be an adult male.[9]

Discovery

Peninj 1 was found in 1964 at a site in Tanzania called Peninj, west of Lake Natron and about 80 km (50 miles) from Olduvai Gorge, a major paleoanthropological site.[10] On the 11th of January, fossil hunter Kamoya Kimeu was crossing the western side of Lake Natron as part of a team led by Richard Leakey when he discovered the mandible buried in ancient volcanic ash in situ.[11] Later that year, Louis Leakey, his wife Mary Leakey and their son Richard, announced the discovery of the Peninj Mandible in an article published in Nature.[12]

Together with the OH 5 cranium, the nearly complete mandible of Peninj 1 showed that this East African species was even more robust than other hominin specimens found in southern Africa.[13]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Peninj mandible fossil. Encyclopedia Britannica. en. 2020-05-14.
  2. Web site: Paranthropus boisei: Peninj 1. eFossils. 21 December 2014.
  3. Schaffer. William M.. 1968-11-01. Character Displacement and the Evolution of the Hominidae. The American Naturalist. 102. 928. 559–571. 10.1086/282568. 84461082. 0003-0147.
  4. Torre. Ignacio de la. Mora. Rafael. Martínez-Moreno. Jorge. 2008-06-01. The early Acheulean in Peninj (Lake Natron, Tanzania). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. en. 27. 2. 244–264. 10.1016/j.jaa.2007.12.001. 0278-4165.
  5. Book: Journal of Eastern African Research and Development. East African Literature Bureau. 1974. 129. The mandible was discovered by Kamoya Kimeu in 1964, during an expedition conducted by Richard Leakey and Glynn Isaac..
  6. Book: Virginia Morell. Ancestral Passions: The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind's Beginnings. 11 January 2011. Simon and Schuster. 978-1-4391-4387-2. 303.
  7. Web site: Paranthropus boisei: Peninj 1 eFossils Resources. www.efossils.org. 2020-05-19.
  8. Web site: Peninj mandible fossil. Encyclopedia Britannica. en. 2020-05-14.
  9. Web site: Paranthropus boisei: Peninj 1 eFossils Resources. www.efossils.org. 2020-05-14.
  10. Web site: Peninj mandible fossil. Encyclopedia Britannica. en. 2020-05-14.
  11. Leakey. L. S. B.. Leakey. M. D.. April 1964. Recent Discoveries of Fossil Hominids in Tanganyika : At Olduvai and Near Lake Natron. Nature. en. 202. 4927. 5–7. 10.1038/202005a0. 14166721. 1964Natur.202....5L. 4162123. 1476-4687.
  12. Leakey. L. S. B.. Leakey. M. D.. April 1964. Recent Discoveries of Fossil Hominids in Tanganyika : At Olduvai and Near Lake Natron. Nature. en. 202. 4927. 5–7. 10.1038/202005a0. 14166721. 1964Natur.202....5L. 4162123. 0028-0836.
  13. Leakey. L. S. B.. Leakey. M. D.. April 1964. Recent Discoveries of Fossil Hominids in Tanganyika : At Olduvai and Near Lake Natron. Nature. en. 202. 4927. 5–7. 10.1038/202005a0. 14166721. 1964Natur.202....5L. 4162123. 0028-0836.

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