Brief communication: predatory bird damage to the Taung type-skull of Australopithecus africanus Dart 1925.
@article{Berger2006BriefCP, title={Brief communication: predatory bird damage to the Taung type-skull of Australopithecus africanus Dart 1925.}, author={Lee R. Berger}, journal={American journal of physical anthropology}, year={2006}, volume={131 2}, pages={ 166-8 } }
In this issue of the Journal, McGraw et al. ([2006] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 000:00-00) present new data on the taphonomic signature of bone assemblages accumulated by crowned hawk eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus), including characteristic talon damage to the inferior orbits of primates preyed upon by these birds. Reexamination of the Taung juvenile hominin specimen (the type specimen of Australopithecus africanus Dart 1925) reveals previously undescribed damage to the orbital floors that is…
35 Citations
Further evidence for eagle predation of, and feeding damage on, the Taung child
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New taphonomic evidence, combined with previously recognized similarities in breakage patterns and other assemblage characteristics, bolsters the case that a large bird of prey was responsible for the death of the juvenile hominin from Taung.
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A systematic analysis of fossilized eggshell fragments is conducted in order to document the presence of specific avian taxa at Taung during the Plio-Pleistocene, establishing direct evidence for a raptor component in the TaunG faunal assemblage.
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Carnivore damage on Neanderthal fossils is a much more common taphonomic modification than previously thought. Its presence could have different explanations, including predatory attacks or…
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ABSTRACT The geologic, environmental, and taphonomic context of the Taung Australopithecus africanus skull has been the subject of speculation and sporadic research since its first publication. In…
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