South Africa’s significance as a cradle of humankind is reaffirmed with the unveiling of ‘Little Foot,’ the country’s oldest virtually complete fossil human ancestor. ‘Little Foot’ is not only the sole known virtually complete Australopithecus fossil discovered to date but also the most comprehensive skeleton of a human ancestor older than 1.5 million years. This fossil, dating back 3.67 million years, stands as the oldest fossil hominid in southern Africa. The unveiling marks the first opportunity for national and international media to view the completely cleaned and reconstructed skeleton.
Discovered by Professor Ron Clarke of the University of the Witwatersrand’s Evolutionary Studies Institute in Johannesburg, South Africa, ‘Little Foot’ earned its moniker from Prof. Phillip Tobias based on Clarke’s initial discovery of four small footbones. This discovery is poised to enrich our understanding of the appearance, full skeletal anatomy, limb lengths, and locomotor abilities of one of our early ancestral relatives.
Clarke emphasized the profound significance of this discovery in human origins research, and extensive scientific studies are underway, with results to be published in esteemed international journals.
“This is one of the most remarkable fossil discoveries made in the history of human origins research and it is a privilege to unveil a finding of this importance today,” says Clarke.
Professor Ron Clarke from Wits University is shown with skull of Little Foot. ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )
This remarkable find lay undiscovered for over 3.6 million years deep within the Sterkfontein caves, until Clarke’s discovery in 1994 and 1997. Clarke and his team painstakingly excavated, cleaned, and reconstructed the skeleton, and now, a team of international experts is conducting comprehensive scientific studies.
Notably, this is the first time a virtually complete pre-human ancestor skeleton from a South African cave has been excavated where it was fossilized. The delicate bones were embedded in a rock called breccia, requiring meticulous excavation in the cave’s dark environment. Once exposed, the bones had to be carefully removed from the breccia for further cleaning.
The 20-year-long process of excavation, cleaning, reconstruction, casting, and analysis was made possible by funding from the Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST), a Johannesburg-based NGO that supports research, education, and outreach related to the sciences of our origins.
“Many of the bones of the skeleton are fragile, yet they were all deeply embedded in a concrete-like rock called breccia,” Clarke explains.
“The process required extremely careful excavation in the dark environment of the cave. Once the upward-facing surfaces of the skeleton’s bones were exposed, the breccia in which their undersides were still embedded had to be carefully undercut and removed in blocks for further cleaning in the lab at Sterkfontein,” says Clarke.
Skull and bones embedded in breccia at the find site in the Sterkfontein caves South Africa.
Professor Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand, highlighted the global and heritage significance of this discovery, offering a glimpse into our past and enhancing our understanding of human evolution.”
Most Complete Ancient Human Relative Skeleton Is Unveiled | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)