Australopithecus robustus skull, SK-48 with lower jaw  (1.5 to 2 million years)

The Australopithecus robustus skull SK-48 was discovered by Fourie in Swartkrans, South Africa in 1950 and described by R. Broom in 1952.  SK-48, formerly called Paranthropus crassidens, greatly increased what is known about australopithecines.  The Transvaal cave site where it was found was blasted by explosives but, remarkably, the skull survived.  The skull was found with the right canine, the first premolar and all three molars intact.  On the basis of the adult teeth and small sagittal crest, Broom determined the specimen to be an adult female.  The sagittal crest, large zygomatic arches with relatively small front teeth, and large grinding teeth suggest a robust australopithecine.  However, some now are reconsidering a new genus for SK-48.

Stand available - see product code SBH003C.

Model size: 18(L) x 15(W) x 15(H) cm

The Bone Clones® Hominid Series

Our aim is to provide the best possible facsimile models of the most important hominid finds for the general public, educators and students, using the best reference material available.  Each hominid has been carefully researched and re-created based on some or all of the following: casts of original fossils, the latest literature (descriptions and/or published measurements), input from the scientific community and full color, life-size photographs.  Every effort has been made to accurately re-create anatomical details of color, size, shape, reconstructed areas, and bone/fossil texture.  The hominids offered in this series are high quality, artistic recreations that can be advantageously used by educators as important visual aids in the classroom and appreciated by the general public.  They are not intended for advanced graduate work nor to be measured for research purposes.

(Information courtesy Bone Clones, Inc)