Australopithecus sediba Discovered at Malapa
August 15, 2008 · Prehistoric
Nine-year-old Matthew Berger found a hominin clavicle while exploring the Malapa cave site in South Africa's Cradle of Humankind, leading his father, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger, to excavate two partial skeletons. Uranium-lead dating constrained the fossils to 1.977 million years ago. Formally described in 2010 as Australopithecus sediba, meaning 'fountain' in Sesotho, the species displayed a mosaic of Australopithecus and early Homo traits in its pelvis, hands, and brain endocast.
Key Figures
Lee BergerMatthew Berger
Locations
Malapa Cave
Topics
paleoanthropologyhominin evolutionAustralopithecus sedibaCradle of Humankindtransitional fossilshuman origins
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Lee Berger later discovered Homo naledi in the same Cradle of Humankind region Homo naledi Discovered in Rising Star Cave
Laetoli footprints document bipedalism in earlier australopithecines related to A. sediba's lineage Laetoli Hominin Footprint Trails Excavated
A. sediba at Malapa may bridge the gap between Lucy's lineage and the genus Homo Australopithecus afarensis Lucy Skeleton Discovered
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