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Discovery of Smallest Hominin Leg Bone
In South Africa, the unearthing of a fossilized leg bone has revealed the remains of an exceptionally small adult hominin, offering new insights into ancient human relatives. This diminutive specimen, identified as Paranthropus robustus, was even smaller than Homo floresiensis, the hominin species famously known as the “hobbit.”
Fossil Find in South Africa
The fossilized left leg, discovered in South Africa, is attributed to one of the tiniest adult hominins ever identified – exceeding even the petite stature of Homo floresiensis.
Paranthropus robustus Species
This small hominin belonged to the species Paranthropus robustus. Paranthropus represents a genus comprising several ape-like hominin species that coexisted within the African landscape alongside the earliest members of our own genus, Homo, approximately 2.7 to 1.2 million years ago. Paranthropus species were characterized by their heavily built craniums, which accommodated small brains, and their prominent teeth—features observed across certain species.
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