Little Foot
Encyclopedia
"Little Foot" is the nickname given to an extraordinarily complete fossil
hominin skeleton found in 1994–1998 in the cave system of Sterkfontein
, South Africa
.
in 1994, while searching through boxes of fossil fragments labelled 'Cercopithecoids' at the site of Sterkfontein
. These fragments came from the Silberberg Grotto, a large cavern within the Sterkfontein
cave system. He spotted four left foot bones (the talus
, navicular, medial cuneiform and first metatarsal) that were unmistakably hominin and most likely from the same individual. They were described as belonging to the genus Australopithecus
, and catalogued as Stw 573.
Due to the diminutive nature of the bones, they were dubbed "Little Foot". Dr. Clarke found further foot bones from the same individual in separate bags in 1997, including a right fragment of the distal tibia that had been clearly sheared off from the rest of the bone. Two fossil preparators and assistants of Dr. Clarke, Stephen Motsumi and Nkwane Molefe, were sent to the Silberberg Grotto to try and find the matching piece of tibia that attached to this fragment. Amazingly, within two days they found the remaining part of the bone protruding from the rock in the lower part of the grotto. Careful excavation by Dr. Clarke and his team lead to the uncovering of a complete skull and jaw in articulation, as well as other limb bones.
These were announced to the press in 1998, resulting in considerable media attention around the world.
Subsequent work has uncovered a relatively complete skeleton, including a complete forearm and hand in articulation, parts of the pelvis, ribs and vertebrae, a complete humerus and most of the lower limb bones. This sensational discovery is still being excavated and is likely to be far more complete than the famous Australopithecus afarensis
skeleton, "Lucy
", from the site of Hadar
, Ethiopia
.
Clarke now suggests that Little Foot does not belong to the species Australopithecus afarensis or Australopithecus africanus, but to a unique Australopithecus species previously found at Makapansgat and Sterkfontein Member Four.
makes precise dating of Stw 573 difficult. There are no volcanic tuffs to ensure accurate radiometric dating, and the paleomagnetic sequences are incomplete. Further to this, there has been considerable debate in the scientific literature as to how old Stw 573 is. Estimates range from almost 4 Ma based on cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be radiometric dating
to 2.2 Ma based on uranium-lead dating
. A magnetochronology
estimate places the fossil at about 3.3 Ma.
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
hominin skeleton found in 1994–1998 in the cave system of Sterkfontein
Sterkfontein
-References:-References:-References:: : : :...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Discovery
The original Little Foot specimens were found by paleoanthropologist Ronald J. ClarkeRonald J. Clarke
Ronald J. Clarke is a paleoanthropologist most notable for the discovery of "Little Foot", an extraordinary complete skeleton of Australopithecus, in the Sterkfontein Caves...
in 1994, while searching through boxes of fossil fragments labelled 'Cercopithecoids' at the site of Sterkfontein
Sterkfontein
-References:-References:-References:: : : :...
. These fragments came from the Silberberg Grotto, a large cavern within the Sterkfontein
Sterkfontein
-References:-References:-References:: : : :...
cave system. He spotted four left foot bones (the talus
Talus bone
-External links:* *...
, navicular, medial cuneiform and first metatarsal) that were unmistakably hominin and most likely from the same individual. They were described as belonging to the genus Australopithecus
Australopithecus
Australopithecus is a genus of hominids that is now extinct. From the evidence gathered by palaeontologists and archaeologists, it appears that the Australopithecus genus evolved in eastern Africa around 4 million years ago before spreading throughout the continent and eventually becoming extinct...
, and catalogued as Stw 573.
Due to the diminutive nature of the bones, they were dubbed "Little Foot". Dr. Clarke found further foot bones from the same individual in separate bags in 1997, including a right fragment of the distal tibia that had been clearly sheared off from the rest of the bone. Two fossil preparators and assistants of Dr. Clarke, Stephen Motsumi and Nkwane Molefe, were sent to the Silberberg Grotto to try and find the matching piece of tibia that attached to this fragment. Amazingly, within two days they found the remaining part of the bone protruding from the rock in the lower part of the grotto. Careful excavation by Dr. Clarke and his team lead to the uncovering of a complete skull and jaw in articulation, as well as other limb bones.
These were announced to the press in 1998, resulting in considerable media attention around the world.
Subsequent work has uncovered a relatively complete skeleton, including a complete forearm and hand in articulation, parts of the pelvis, ribs and vertebrae, a complete humerus and most of the lower limb bones. This sensational discovery is still being excavated and is likely to be far more complete than the famous Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus afarensis
Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct hominid that lived between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago. A. afarensis was slenderly built, like the younger Australopithecus africanus. It is thought that A...
skeleton, "Lucy
Lucy (Australopithecus)
Lucy is the common name of AL 288-1, several hundred pieces of bone representing about 40% of the skeleton of an individual Australopithecus afarensis. The specimen was discovered in 1974 at Hadar in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia's Afar Depression. Lucy is estimated to have lived 3.2 million years...
", from the site of Hadar
Hadar, Ethiopia
Hadar is a village in Ethiopia, on the southern edge of the Afar Triangle with a latitude and longitude of approximately . The village is known for the nearby archaeological site....
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
Clarke now suggests that Little Foot does not belong to the species Australopithecus afarensis or Australopithecus africanus, but to a unique Australopithecus species previously found at Makapansgat and Sterkfontein Member Four.
Dating
The complex geology of SterkfonteinSterkfontein
-References:-References:-References:: : : :...
makes precise dating of Stw 573 difficult. There are no volcanic tuffs to ensure accurate radiometric dating, and the paleomagnetic sequences are incomplete. Further to this, there has been considerable debate in the scientific literature as to how old Stw 573 is. Estimates range from almost 4 Ma based on cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be radiometric dating
Radiometric dating
Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates...
to 2.2 Ma based on uranium-lead dating
Uranium-lead dating
Uranium-lead is one of the oldest and most refined of the radiometric dating schemes, with a routine age range of about 1 million years to over 4.5 billion years, and with routine precisions in the 0.1-1 percent range...
. A magnetochronology
Geomagnetic reversal
A geomagnetic reversal is a change in the Earth's magnetic field such that the positions of magnetic north and magnetic south are interchanged. The Earth's field has alternated between periods of normal polarity, in which the direction of the field was the same as the present direction, and reverse...
estimate places the fossil at about 3.3 Ma.
See also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- List of hominina (hominid) fossils (with images)