Paranthropus capensis, originally described as Telanthropus capensis by Broom and Robinson in 1949, is an extinct hominin of the Early Pleistocene, with a fossil range of about 1.4 million years ago. It is treated as a distinct, more gracile and slender member of the genus Paranthropus, separate from the three widely recognized species, Paranthropus aethiopicus, Paranthropus boisei and Paranthropus robustus. The name rests on the SK 15 mandible found in 1949 in Swartkrans Member 2, South Africa, long attributed to Homo erectus. A 2025 study using X-ray microtomography found that SK 15 falls outside the variation of Homo erectus and fits Paranthropus best, so it was tentatively attributed to this species.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Paranthropus capensis (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Paranthropus robustus (Wikipedia)Discovery, Telanthropus capensisQuote, Discovery, Telanthropus capensis
In 1949, also in Swartkrans Cave, Broom and Robinson found a mandible
Sources
1. Paleobiology Database: genus Paranthropus (Paleobiology Database)
Paleobiology DatabaseEcospace record of genus Paranthropus, diet
"diet": "omnivore"
Ecospace record of genus Paranthropus, taxon_environment
"taxon_environment": "terrestrial"
View the Source 2. Paranthropus capensis (Wikipedia)
Lead, extinct status
is an extinct hominin
Child Taxon Of: Hominidae, Lead, family
is an extinct hominin
In Group: Primate Species, Lead, group placement
is an extinct hominin
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