Paranthropus, the chewing specialists
A hominin lineage evolves enormous molars, flaring cheekbones and a bony crest for jaw muscle.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 120 thousand years
- Known to
- ± 100 thousand years
- Era
- Pliocene, Cenozoic
Paranthropus aethiopicus appears around 2.7 million years ago — the Black Skull from Kenya, stained by manganese, is its best specimen — with a massive face, a sagittal crest anchoring huge temporalis muscles, and molars several times the area of ours. This is a second viable hominin strategy: rather than tools and meat, invest in the ability to process low-quality plant food. It works for over a million years and runs alongside early Homo for that whole time. It is a sister branch, not an ancestor.