The face of the ancient human ancestor ‘Little Foot’ reconstructed for the first time

The face of the ancient human ancestor ‘Little Foot’ reconstructed for the first time

By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron

Of all early human ancestor fossils ever found, “Lucy” may be the most famous among the examples of Australopithecus, a group of ancient hominins that lived in what is now Africa more than two million years ago. But “Little Foot”, a fossil found in South Africa in the 1990s, is the most complete Australopithecus skeleton ever discovered, giving researchers the clearest picture we have of what these ancient hominins looked like.

Littlefoot’s face, however, has long eluded characterization – the fossil’s skull was crushed after an estimated 3.67 million years in the ground. But now, with the help of computer reconstructions, researchers finally have an idea of ​​what Littlefoot’s face might have looked like. The results show that the skull of Little Foot had large eye sockets and, interestingly, resembled that of others Australopithecus fossils that were discovered elsewhere on the African continent.

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The reconstruction, which was announced on Monday i Comptes Rendus Palevol, took five years, according to lead author Amélie Beaudet, a paleoanthropologist at the Laboratory Paleontology Evolution Paleoecosystems Paleoprimatology (PALEVOPRIM), a research organization in France.

“The reconstructed face of ‘Little Foot’ reveals fascinating features, such as large webs, that differ from modern humans but resemble other Australopithecus species that live at the same time in eastern Africa, says Beaudet.

The reconstructions may help paleontologists better understand how Australopithecus lived and reveals new insights into how this ancient hominin evolved across Africa, says Beaudet. The study offers a “first step” in understanding human facial development, she adds.

Beaudet and her team are now working to restore the rest of the skull — before trying to reconstruct “Little Foot’s brain,” she says.

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