Diet of Paranthropus
2006/11/14 Roa Zubia, Guillermo - Elhuyar Zientzia
The Australopithecus, some of our ancestors, lived in the woods. However, these forests disappeared due to climate change, and the descendants of the genus Paranthropus had to learn to live in the fields. Learning to live in the fields influenced, among other things, the diet. For example, unlike the forest, there was no fruit in the fields. So far, anthropologists have believed that Paranthropus ate seeds and nuts. But they only ate
that?To this question have answered some American and English anthropologists who have not, after analyzing the fossil teeth of Paranthropus. Teeth and carbon dioxide. Tooth enamel absorbs a small part of the carbon dioxide that the plant contains when eating. In addition, each plant keeps its carbon dioxide in its own way, so analyzing the gas of the enamel of Paranthropus can clarify
what the animal ate. Thus anthropologists have discovered that Paranthropus, in addition to seeds and nuts, ate tropical herbs, berries of bushes, etc. In parallel, anthropologists have discovered that the Paranthropus diet varied from season to season.
David Brill, Transvaal Museum.
