The skull was a male Paranthropus robustus, a "cousin species" to Homo erectus - a species thought to be direct ancestors of modern humans. cusps on. This species had even larger cheek teeth than P. robustus, a flatter, bigger-brained skull than P. aethiopicus, and the thickest dental enamel of any known early human. “While we were the lineage that won out in the end, two million years ago the fossil record suggests that Paranthropus robustus was much more common than Homo erectus on the landscape.” Lived in open grasslands diets and dietary adaptations were probably complex and variable in our ancient ancestors. Like australopithecines, P. robustus exhibits a high degree of sexual dimorphism, molarized premolars, and lower limb adaptations for bipedalism. Paranthropus robustus is a small-brained extinct hominin that lived between 2 million and 1.2 million years ago in what is now South Africa. They were also known as “robust … size. 530 cc brain. Researchers have long believed that the distant human ancestor species called Paranthropus robustus were somewhat like modern gorillas, orangutans, and baboons because they thought the males of this species were considerably larger than the females.However, a newly discovered Paranthropus skull suggests that the difference in body size was due to rapid evolution instead of … This species lived between 1.8 million and 1.2 million years ago in South Africa. It wouldn’t be until fossils were found in 1959 by Mary Leakey that paleontologists knew they had a new species. Cranial capacity in this species suggests a slight rise in brain size (about 100 cc in 1 million years) independent of brain enlargement in the genus Homo . Key Difference – Paranthropus vs Australopithecus Hominidae is a taxonomic family of primates whose members are known as great apes or hominids.This taxonomic group included the ancient extinct hominins such as Paranthropus, Australopithecus and Homo group including modern man.The Paranthropus is described as a genus of extinct hominins. Fossil remains for Paranthropus robustus have been found in South Africa, and indicate P. robustus was similar to Australopithecus africanus in many ways with the exception of an extremely robust masticatory apparatus. third Australopithecus sediba . Paranthropus was a relatively small, but powerfully built hominid that averaged 1.1 to 1.4 m (3’ 7” to 4’ 7”) in height, weighed between 32 and 50 kg (70 to 110 lb), and had a brain size less than half that of the average modern human. The males were notably larger and heavier than the females. 2 mya. www.bradshawfoundation.com/origins/paranthropus_robustus.php Massive posterior teeth Robust skull with sagittal crest. 420 cc brain size Small teeth Equal sized. Even though the name of the species has "robust" in it, they were actually the smallest of the Paranthropus Group. The two species … Paranthropus pictures of this species show them standing about 4 ‘6” tall and weighing approximately 108 pounds, which is the average height and male of the males of this species. Paranthropus aethiopicus • Walker & Leakey, 1985 • Type Specimen Omo 18 (Adult Mandible) • 2.7 – 2.5 MYA • East Africa. Paranthropus’ face and jaw were built for eating tough vegetation. Paranthropus robustus is the last of the Paranthropus Group of human ancestors. 2 - 1.5 mya. Australopithecus (Paranthropus) robustus . N/A.