The Australopithecus Garhi is a species of hominid that existed 2.5 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia, located in the Horn of Africa so ago. It was discovered by the Ethiopian paleontologist Berhane Asfaw and the North American anthropologist Tim White, who found it in the Awash River, located in the city of Bouri. However, the type specimen of A. garhi was found by another Ethiopian scientist named Yohannes Haile-Selassie in 1997.
At first this specimen was believed to be the missing link between Australopithecus and Homo. It was even established that it was a close race (in terms of origin) to that of Homo sapiens.
National Museum of Ethiopia: reconstructed Australopithecus garhi skull from items found in 1997 (Awash region, Afar). 2.5 million years. By Ji-Elle, from Wikimedia Commons
This species is not well documented because few fossils have been found that match its characteristics; for this reason various theories have emerged. Today scientists are still looking for fossils about this hominid.
characteristics
The few bones found indicate that, unlike other Australopithecus species, the hominid garhi has a much longer femur. In the same way, the legs are long like those of Homo; however, the arms are still considerably short.
Regarding the mandible found in 1996, through studies carried out on the molars and premolars it was discovered that there is a certain similarity with another specimen known as Paranthopus boisei, which lived in a dry environment in East Africa and whose teeth are larger than the other Australopithecus species.
One of the theories states that for Australopithecus to be the ancestor of Homo sapiens, its maxillary anatomy had to have evolved rapidly in 200,000 to 300,000 years. Due to this, it is difficult to corroborate that A. garhi is the ancestor of homo.
A curious fact is that the word garhi means "surprise" in the Afar language, spoken in the Horn of Africa. This name was chosen by its discoverers when the fossils of this particular species were found for the first time.
Cranial capacity
The cranial capacity of Australopithecus garhi is quite similar to that of the other Australopithecs: 450 cm 3.
This means that it is a rather small cranial box, which also has a crest outline.
Tools
One of the most interesting aspects of the A. garhi species is the handling that these hominids had of different tools and utensils. Although not many elements were found, it was established that the artifacts used were mostly made of stone.
Likewise, it is said that the technology used largely resembles Olduvayense implements; that is to say, they are similar to those tools classified as “mode 1” due to their rudimentary and primitive character, since they are the first tools produced in African Prehistory.
Although the ability to make complex tools comes only from the homo species, scholars established that Australopithecus garhi utensils were made with various techniques that were later used by the more advanced species.
Habitat
In general, the places where primates develop are usually humid tropical forest species with a monsoon-like climate regime; In other words, it is a climate produced by a strong wind that manifests itself through abundant rains during the summer.
Despite the fact that the area where the fossils were found - Ethiopia - is currently somewhat desert, it is believed that in ancient times (that is, 2.5 million years ago) there was much more vegetation, water and numerous animals, an environment in which existed and developed this species of hominid.
In other words, A. Garhi lived in a warm forest place, despite the fact that other hominid species (such as Paranthopus boisei) managed to exist and develop in drier areas. The location of Australopithecus Garhi allowed its diet to be much richer and more varied.
Feeding
Hominids usually eat whatever food their habitat provides; that is to say, they can feed on both fruits and vegetables and small vertebrate or invertebrate animals.
Arboreal species -in other words, those primates that consume what trees provide- tend to feed on seeds, leaves and flowers, while non-arboreal species -those that do not live in trees- can consume the same but adding foods such as tubers, roots and stems.
In the case of A. Garhi, it is one of the australopithecine specimens that, thanks to the elaboration of different stone materials, some scientists assure that they had skills to dismember and cut the meat of the animals they managed to hunt.
Mandible
In addition, thanks to the study of the dental wear of the fossils, the scientists noticed that the mandible of the Australopithecus species had developed a series of remarkable changes compared to the species that preceded them. In this case, the molars and premolars were larger and the enamel was much thicker.
This means that this category of hominids began to consume more elaborate foods, which required a greater effort from the jawbone when chewing. Some experts point out that this is another indication that A. garhi may have eaten meat at some point.
However, other scholars state that the creation of the stone utensils was not necessarily intended to manipulate these carnivorous foods, but that Australopithecus garhi (like its other Australopithecine relatives) was in fact mostly insectivorous and herbivorous.
In other words, Australopithecus garhi cannot be proven to have consumed meat during its existence.
References
- Jordi Salas Salvadó, Pilar García Lorda, Josep M. Sánchez. "Food and nutrition through history" (2005). Retrieved on September 5, 2018 from: books.google.es
- Richard G. Klein "Archeology and the evolution of human behavior" (2000) Retrieved on September 5, 2018 from: onlinelibrary.wiley.com
- Berhane Asfaw, Tim White "Australopithecus garhi: A New Species of Early Hominid from Ethiopia" (1999). Retrieved on September 5, 2018 from: sciencemag.org
- Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History. Australopithecus garhi. Retrieved on September 5, 2018 from: humanorigins.si.edu
- Daniel Tomás. "Australopithecus garhi" Retrieved on September 5, 2018 from: mclibre.org
- José Mataix Verdú "Vegetables and vegetables in the Mediterranean diet from prehistory to the present day" (2007) Retrieved on September 5, 2018 from: books.google.es