why was paranthropus bosei nicknamed "nutcracker man"? course hero

Due to its robust, well-developed jaw muscles, it is believed that Paranthropus boisei

was able to eat solid foods, and was thus nicknamed ‘Nutcracker Man’.

Full Answer

Is Nutcracker Man the first Paranthropus boisei specimen?

OH 5 Zinjanthropus, "Zinj" or "Nutcracker Man", was the first P. boisei specimen found by Mary Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania; it belonged to an adult male ( c. 1.75 mya).. The name "Nutcracker Man" may be a misnomer as it may only apply to Paranthropus robustus ."

What is Paranthropus boisei?

Jump to navigation Jump to search. Paranthropus boisei or Australopithecus boisei was an early hominin, described as the largest of the genus Paranthropus (robust australopithecines). It lived in Eastern Africa during the Pleistocene epoch from about 2.4 until about 1.4 million years ago.

Who is Nutcracker Man?

Nutcracker Man, officially called Paranthropus boisei, roamed across East Africa 1.4 million to 2.4 million years ago, living alongside the direct ancestors of humanity. It earned its nickname because of its massive jaw and huge molars.

What is the Olduvai Hominid 5 (Nutcracker Man)?

Here, the skull of the Olduvai Hominid 5, also called Nutcracker Man, the most famous of the early human fossils, which was found at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. My What Big Teeth ... Nutcracker Man, officially called Paranthropus boisei, roamed across East Africa 1.4 million to 2.4 million years ago, living alongside the direct ancestors of humanity.

What do the teeth on Paranthropus boisei mean?

The large teeth and massive jaw of Paranthropus boisei suggest the hominid ate hard objects, but the chemistry and wear on the teeth indicate the species consumed grasses or sedges. Image courtesy of Wikicommons

Why is the Nutcracker Man called the Nutcracker Man?

It’s not hard to understand why Paranthropus boisei is often called the Nutcracker Man. The hominid’s massive molars and enormous jaw make it seem pretty obvious that the species spent a lot of time chomping on hard nuts and seeds. Yet, the only direct evidence of P. boisei ‘s meals—the chemistry and microscopic scratches of the teeth—hint that the species probably didn’t crack nuts all that much, instead preferring the taste of grass. A team of anthropologists that recently reviewed the possible diets of several early hominid species has highlighted this paradox of the Nutcracker Man and the difficulties in reconstructing the diets of our ancient kin.

What adaptations did P. boisei have?

Grine and his colleagues suggest there may be a way to reconcile the paradox of P. boisei. Instead of being adaptations to cracking open hard objects , the species’ massive teeth and jaws may have been traits that helped P. boisei handle very abrasive foods, including any grit clinging to blades of grass. Or perhaps the species’ used its giant molars to grind its food in a unique way. These are ideas that anthropologists should further investigate.

How to find out what an individual ate?

Grine and colleagues note that other lines of evidence directly record what an individual ate. One method is to look at the chemistry of a tooth’s dental enamel. As the enamel forms, atoms that an individual consumes become incorporated in the tooth. One of the most common elements to look for is carbon. Because different plants have unique ratios of carbon isotopes based on how they undergo photosynthesis, the carbon isotopes act as a stamp that records what the individual once ate. Researchers look for two main plant groups: C3 plants are trees, fruits and herbaceous plants that grow in environments with cooler seasons while C4 plants are the grasses and sedges that grow in tropical, warm regions. Finding the isotopic traces of C3 or C4 plants in teeth indicate a hominid ate those plants (or animals that ate those plants).

What do anthropologists look for in a hominid?

Then they look for modern primates that have similar-looking dentition to see what they eat. For example, monkeys that eat a lot of leaves have molars with sharp cusps for shearing the tough foliage. On the other hand, monkeys that eat a lot of fruit have low, rounded molar cusps. If you found a hominid with either of those traits, you’d have a starting point for what the species ate.

What does the morphology of a species' teeth and jaws show?

But the morphology of a species’ teeth and jaws only shows what the hominid was capable of eating, not necessarily what it typically ate. In some cases, these physical traits might reflect the fallback foods that a species relied on when its preferred foods were unavailable during certain times of the year. Frederick Grine of Stony Brook University in New York and colleagues point this out in their recent review in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

What did P. robustus eat?

The species’ giant, thickly enameled molars and premolars (better known as bicuspids) and heavy jaw suggest P. robustus was chewing hard objects. The surface wear on the teeth also point to eating hard foods and resemble the wear patterns seen in modern mangabey monkeys, which often eat nuts. The teeth’s enamel chemistry further supports this conclusion: As much as 60 percent of the species’ diet consisted of C3 plants, which would include hard-shelled nuts and fruits (carbon chemistry can’t detect which part of a plant an animal ate).

History of Discovery

Paleoanthropologists actually found the first fossils belonging to P. boisei in 1955, but it wasn’t until Mary Leakey’s 1959 discovery of the ‘Zinj’ skull (OH 5) that scientists knew what they had found was a new species. ‘Zinj’ became the type specimen for P.

Evolutionary Tree Information

P. boisei is usually thought to descend from earlier P. aethiopicus (who inhabited the same geographic area just a few hundred thousand years before) and lived alongside several other species of early humans during its 1.1 million year existence. P.

Questions

We don’t know everything about our early ancestors—but we keep learning more! Paleoanthropologists are constantly in the field, excavating new areas, using groundbreaking technology, and continually filling in some of the gaps about our understanding of human evolution.

KNM-ER 406

KNM-ER 406 is a nearly complete adult male Paranthropus boisei. It has the facial and cranial features typical of this robust species, which commonly ate fruit and other soft foods but were also able to crush and grind tough plant foods during difficult times.

KNM-ER 732 A

This female Paranthropus boisei has a smaller skull without a large crest on the top like males of her species, but she has the characteristic wide cheekbones and marks along her skull from strong chewing muscles.

What is the name of the hominid that chews on its skull?

Initially, this hominid was assigned the name Zinjanthropus boisei, but was later renamed Australopithecus boisei. In recent years it has often placed in the genus Paranthropus, since it is one of the robust australopithecines (given the sturdy chewing-related features of its skull).

Why is Paranthropus boisei considered a robust australopithecine?

Paranthropus boisei, discovered by Louis and Mary Leakey, is classed with the robust australopithecines because of the sturdy features of the skull.

How big is the Nutcracker Man?

Their grinding surface is over twice as large as that of a modern human. Males stood 1.3 meters (4 feet 3 inches) tall and weighed about 70 kilograms (154 pounds).

What is the significance of Paranthropus boiseiis?

Perhaps the greatest significance of Paranthropus boiseiis that its 1959 discovery convinced the scientific world that the place to look for the earliest humans is Africa.

Where did the fossils of the Paranthropus boisei come from?

Fossils attributed to this hominid range from about 1.1 to 2.6 million years in age (early to middle Pleistocene) and come from eastern Africa. Mary Leakey, the wife of Louis Leakey, discovered the first specimen of Paranthropus boisei, a well-preserved cranium, on July 17, 1959, ...

Why is the Nutcracker Man called Nutcracker Man?

Paranthropus boiseiis nicknamed "Nutcracker Man" because it has the largest molars of any known hominid, which is fairly obvious in the figure. Their grinding surface is over twice as large as that of a modern human.

What was the first robust australopithecineever found?

Dating to 1.75 mya, the skull was the first robust australopithecineever found and did much to convince the scientific world that Darwinand Raymond Darthad been right about their claims of Africa being the earliest scene of human evolution. A replica of the skull (and of a jaw found separately by Kamoya Kimeu in 1964) is shown at right.

Where are baboons found?

To solve the mystery of the extinct creature's diet, Gabriele Macho, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Oxford in England, investigated modern-day baboons in Amboseli National Park (shown here) in Kenya, an environment similar to that inhabited by P. boisei also called Nutcracker Man. The study focused on year-old baboons, for which there was much data on what they ate and the rate they ate it. [ Read full story]

Why is Nutcracker Man called Nutcracker Man?

It earned its nickname because of its massive jaw and huge molars. Here, the palate and maxillary teeth of Paranthropus boisei.

What did P. boisei's teeth damage?

Damage to the teeth enamel of P. boisei suggested it came into contact with abrasive substances. Recent studies on the makeup of these teeth hinted these ancient relatives of humans largely lived on so-called C4 plants, such as grasses and sedges. However, controversy remains over whether such foods could have been nutritious enough for a large-brained, medium-size hominin. (Hominins include humans and related species after they split from the ancestors of chimpanzees.)

Where is the skull of the Nutcracker Man?

Here, the skull of the Olduvai Hominid 5, also called Nutcracker Man, the most famous of the early human fossils, which was found at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.

What is live science?

For the science geek in everyone, Live Science offers a fascinating window into the natural and technological world, delivering comprehensive and compelling news and analysis on everything from dinosaur discoveries, archaeological finds and amazing animals to health, innovation and wearable technology. We aim to empower and inspire our readers with the tools needed to understand the world and appreciate its everyday awe.