aethiopicus, after Ethiopia where the type specimen Omo 18 was discovered,.The second word from each species’ scientific name is: There are three species in the Paranthropus genus or group. Paranthropus is based on the Greek words, ‘para’ meaning ‘beside’ or ‘near’ and ‘anthropus’ meaning ‘man’. Compared with a male’s skull, this female has a smaller face and no sagittal crest along the top of the braincase. KNM-ER 732 – a 1.7-million-year-old skull discovered in 1970 by Richard Leakey in Koobi Fora, East Turkana, Kenya.Layers of volcanic sediment around this skull have enabled the reliable dating of this fossil. It was originally classified as Zinjanthropus boisei and earned the nickname ‘Nutcracker Man’ because of its powerful jaws and large teeth. OH 5 – skull discovered in 1959 by Mary Leakey in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania Dated to 1.8 million years old, this is the ‘type specimen’ or official representative of this species.KNM-ER 729 – a lower jaw of a male discovered in East Turkana, Kenya.This fossil is the most massive example of a jaw from this species. L 74 – a 2.3-million-year-old lower jaw discovered in Omo, Ethiopia.

Accurate dates have been difficult to obtain for South African fossils because they lie in cave ground layers that have been disturbed by washed-in sediments and erosion of the cave roof. This adult skull has been dated between 1.5 and 2 million years old. SK 48 – skull discovered in 1950 in Swartkrans, South Africa.SK 50 – a right half of an adult male pelvis discovered inSwartkrans, South Africa.This adolescent palate or upper jaw shows the eruption of the last molar teeth. SK 13/14 – an upper jaw discovered in Swartkrans, South Africa.SK 23 – a lower jaw discovered in Swartkrans, South Africa.Important specimens: Paranthropus robustus

Gorilla skull mastoid process