Fossil specimens of Southern Ape skulls from the Oxford Museum of Natural History

Fossil specimens of Southern Ape skulls from the Oxford Museum of Natural History

Southern apes, some researchers refer to as hominids, lived on the newly formed African savannah 1.5 million years ago. The skull features of this species are related to a diet primarily based on hard fruits, bark, and some roots. We can notice that it has a thick and protruding zygomatic arch, with a very large muscle passing through it and ending at the sagittal crest located in the upper part of the skull. Its dental arch is very sturdy and can be seen in very wide and pointed molars.
Fossil specimen "Robust Southern Ape Skull" from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico

Fossil specimen "Robust Southern Ape Skull" from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico

The robust Southern Ape, referred to by some researchers as the hominid genus, lived on the newly formed African savannah 1.5 million years ago. Unlike the more elegant southern apes, the skull features of this species are related to a diet primarily based on hard fruits, bark, and some roots. We can notice that it has a thick and protruding zygomatic arch, with a very large muscle passing through it and ending at the sagittal crest located in the upper part of the skull. Its dental arch is very sturdy and can be seen in very wide and pointed molars. This specimen was discovered by scientist Robert Bloom in 1938 in the Stekefontein Cave near Johannesburg, South Africa.
Fossil skull of African Southern Ape

Fossil skull of African Southern Ape

The Australopithecus Africanus, belonging to the early hominid family, lived in the Pliocene epoch 2-3 million years ago. The fossil remains of this ancient ape show that they are more similar to modern humans, with similar skulls that can accommodate larger brains and more human like features. The earliest fossil of a southern ape was discovered in 1924 at the Thun Quarry in the Cape Province of South Africa, and it is the skull of a young ape.