L'Engle describes the Paranthropus boisei as an evolutionary kin of human beings, which was discovered in southern side of Africa around 1.5 million years ago (1-19).The discovery of its remains shed some light into the controversy of whether Africa was the home of the evolving man. Paranthropus boisei was also discovered in Olduvai George in Tanzania (Dominguez et al., 13). The hominid is believed to have existed between 2.7-1.3 million years ago. It is particularly unique in its dental structure, having a hyper-thick enamel and thick molars. This gives an idea that this hominid fed on hard foods, which were closer to the ground. For this reason, the hominid is sometimes referred to as the Nutcracker. The hominid is visibly different from human beings today but is related to man. Some scientists argue that the hominid is a close cousin to man.
The hominid derived most of its tissues from low-quality foods such as sedges and grasses. The volume of food consumed by the P.boisei is relatively proportional to the size of the animal. It was similar to the Lucy hominid but had a special kind of dental formula. The hominid was an herbivore and depended solely on vegetation. At this time, hunting was a rather complex behavior for hominids, as tools had not been implemented. The brain capacity of the P. bosei was very small. This indicates that the hominid did not have the creativity that those that came after it had. It lived a simpler life than the other hominids that came after it. In order to meet the need for calories in its body, the hominid had to spend 80% of its daily eating on C4 sources of food.
Genetically, the Paranthropus boisei is a distant relative to man. It is assumed that the hominid existed before the evolution of the Homo erectus, which eventually completed the evolution period by giving rise to the existence of man. The P.boisei had energetic requirements, which were 2-4, its basal metabolic rate. This feature is found in mammals today, the group which human beings belong to. It spent 6 hours feeding on a daily basis (Macho 1-8). The hominid was a generalist like the others that came after it. Physiologically, P.boseis' structure was almost similar to man. It was bipedal and had fur as compared to the modern man. It was one of the earliest hominids, which led to the evolution of man to what he is today.
Based on Kelley and Gary’s argument, the hominid can, therefore, be linked evolutionarily to man (1332-1363). Evolution is an essential topic in understanding the changes that the evolving man was subject to as the years passed, and as there was a change in the physiology of the changing man. Kivell ascertains that the inasmuch as the P.boseis was almost similar to the apes in Africa suggested by the fact that it had a rather large brain (60-69). It could, therefore, handle simple reasoning situations as compared to the baboons who live to eat and sleep. Even after the evolution period was over, and the hominids had migrated to other worlds, human beings still appreciate the role played by the hominids and the changes that these hominids incurred over the years to have the final product, which is man. Man owes its existence to these hominids.
Works Cited
L'Engle Williams, Frank. "Dietary Proclivities Of Paranthropus Robustus From Swartkrans, South Africa." Anthropological Review 78.1 (2015): 1-19. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 May 2016.
Domínguez-Rodrigo, Manuel, et al. "First Partial Skeleton Of A 1.34-Million-Year-Old Paranthropus Boisei From Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania." Plos ONE 8.12 (2013): 1-10. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 May 2016
Macho, Gabriele A. "Baboon Feeding Ecology Informs The Dietary Niche Of Paranthropus Boisei." Plos ONE 9.1 (2014): 1-8. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 May 2016.
Kelley, Jay, and Gary Schwartz. "Life-History Inference In The Early Hominins Australopithecus And Paranthropus." International Journal Of Primatology 33.6 (2012): 1332-1363. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 May 2016.
Kivell, Tracy L. "A Comparative Analysis Of The Hominin Triquetrum (SKX 3498) From Swartkrans, South Africa." South African Journal Of Science 107.5/6 (2011): 60-69. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 May 2016.
