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'Miracle' Excavation of 'Little Foot' Skeleton Reveals Mysterious Human Relative
In a recent study, scientists compared the skull of Little Foot with that of other hominins.

Following an epic 20-year-long excavation in South Africa, researchers have finally recovered and cleaned the nearly complete skeleton of an ancient human relative: an approximately 3.67-million-year-old hominin nicknamed Little Foot.

Little Foot is likely a previously unknown species, the researchers said. In four newly posted studies — all available on bioRxiv, meaning they are not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal — the researchers delved into Little Foot's anatomy. Their findings reveal that Little Foot likely walked upright on two feet and probably had a nearly lifelong injury on her left arm.

The successful two-decade-long excavation of Little Foot was "almost a miracle," study researcher Robin Crompton, a musculoskeletal biologist at the University of Liverpool, in the United Kingdom, told Nature, because the bones themselves were softer than the rock surrounding them in the Sterkfontein caves, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Johannesburg. [In Photos: 'Little Foot' Human Ancestor Walked with Lucy]

"Immediately upon her fall [in the cave], she lay with her pelvis in a pool of water," Crompton told Live Science in an email. "Before the cave infill became solidified, her bones thus became decalcified and extremely fragile and in some cases, such as the shoulder blade or scapula, paper-thin."

Researchers found Little Foot's remains in a South African cave.
Researchers found Little Foot's remains in a South African cave.
Credit: PAST.org.za
Researchers first came across Little Foot's remains in 1994, when Ronald Clarke, a paleoanthropologist at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, found some small bones in a collection of fossils recovered from the Sterkfontein caves. The collection was previously thought to contain ancient monkey bones. But an analysis revealed that some of the bones were something else entirely. The scientists dubbed the newfound specimen Little Foot because its foot bones are quite small.

Clarke detailed that Little Foot was a member of the genus Australopithecus, much like the famous Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis), who lived about 3.2 million years ago. Just as its name implies, Australopithecus, which means "southern ape," is an ape-like hominin. (The hominin group includes humans, our ancestors and our close evolutionary cousins, such as chimps and gorillas. In essence, hominins are bipedal primates that have increased brain size.)

The newfound Little Foot specimen is more than 90 percent complete, which far exceeds the status for Lucy, whose skeleton is about 40 percent complete, Live Science reported previously.

"We have, for the first time so far anywhere in the world for early human relatives ... complete upper and lower limb bones, so estimation of bone lengths, which is common practice but obviously has its risks, is unnecessary," Crompton told Live Science. While the 1.5-million-year-old Nariokotome Homo erectus boy has nearly complete limb bones, he is far younger than the 3.67-million-year-old Little Foot, Crompton added.

How Little Foot moved
Little Foot was likely a 4-foot-3-inch-tall (130 centimeters) adult female and a vegetarian to boot, the researchers of the new studies found. In one bioRxiv study, published online Nov. 29, the researchers investigated how Little Foot likely moved. The researchers found that her arms were not as long as her legs, meaning she had similar proportions to those of modern humans. In fact, Little Foot is the oldest known hominin to have this feature, which suggests that she felt more at home walking on the ground than other, largely tree-dwelling Australopithecus species, Crompton told Nature.

Carol Kelly

Vegetarian explains the soft bones, but Christians can never believe we originated from apes.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Some Christians have no issue with evolution... God got things going and here we are appreciating it all...

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Sorry... Should stick to the topic provided... Great piece... Always amazing when we find one of our possible ancestors

badbobby Loc: texas

haven't seen you on OPP Canuck
welcome

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

I am new... Have been following for about half a year... Joined a little over a month ago... Just started posting in the last week or so

Thanks for the welcome... This is a very enjoyable forum

badbobby Loc: texas

I tried to google your handle'Canuckus Deploracus'
got no answer

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Nope... Not very active on the net...
But enjoy this forum...
Most of the members seem very civilized... Becoming difficult to have a civil conversation nowadays

bahmer

Welcome aboard and give it some time and you will find the other varieties on here as well.

Fit2BTied Loc: Texas

It does go off the rails at times, but most folks are just strongly opinionated, not childish. Welcome.

okie don

Welcome aboard Canuck.
The sane seem to.out number the brain dead here.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Thanks for the welcome: okie don , fit2btied , bahmer...