Paranthropus Boisei
   
  Background
Paranthropus Boisei

Paranthropus Boisei walked the Earth between 2.3 and 1.2 million years ago. Boisei had an immense jaw that was ideal for heavy chewing. Devouring handfulls of roots, dry weeds, and even insects in one sitting made up a complete meal for this hominid. Unlike Australopithecus Afarensis, Boisei was a strict vegeterian that ate some of the toughest vegetation on the African savanna. Its molar teeth were four times the size of modern humans today.

  How Paranthropus Boisei Was Found
  An anthropologist by the name of Mark Leaky discovered Boisei's fossils in Tanzania in 1959. Paranthropus Boisei was given its strange name in honor of the funder of Leaky's archaeological team. Boisei shares many characteristics with the Australopithecine genus and was first categorized as Zinjanthropus Boisei and later, Australopithecus Boisei. Only until the last half-decade, Boisei has been given its genus Paranthropus.
  A Day in the Life of Paranthropus Boisei
Paranthropus in Forest Paranthropus Boisei roamed the eastern African savanna in many groups, or shrewdness, as we call a group of apes. During the day these hominids would probably behave in the same manner that modern day apes today behave. What really separates Boisei from some of the other hominids was the ability for it to eat some of the dryest, toughest vegetation. Because the world's climate during this time was becoming cooler and dryer, Paranthropus Boisei was forced to specialize itself by eating dry vegetation and termites.
  Competing in a Changing World
  Paranthropus Boisei lived during a "cross-road" of the evolutionary timeline. This was a time when Paranthropus was not the only genus of the hominid branch to walk the Earth. Australopithecines and Homo Habilis the hunter were also competitors in the evolutionary race. Unlike the fate of the earlier Australopithecine, Paranthropus Boisei was able to survive the changing climate of the world around them. As the Earth's climate cooled and its moisture decreased, the tropical landscape that was once Boisei's home dried up. This forced the hominid to eat the dry roots, nuts, shrubs, and potato-like vegetables. Boisei's acceptance to eat other foods was the main reason for its one-million year survival in a changing world climate.

 

Paranthropus Boisei Quiz

 
1. Paranthropus Boisei existed between 2.3 and 1.2 million years ago. This means that he walked the earth for approximately...
a) 3.5 million years.
b) 5 hundred-thousand years.
c) 1.1 million years.
d) 1.8 million years.

2. Boisei was a strict vegetarian, which means that he...
a) ate some vegetables.
b) ate mostly vegetables.
c) ate meat as well as vegetables.
d) took care of wounded animals.

3. Complete the sentence.

Before Paranthropus Boisei was given his genus name, he was known as ____________ Boisei and ______________ Boisei.
a) Australopithecus / Zinjanthropus
b) Astronaut / Zygote
c) Astronomical / Zinjanthropus
d) Australopithecus / Zoological

4. What was the main reason for Paranthropus Boisei's million year survival?
a) Boisei invented tools to keep itself alive.
b) The Earth's climate became wetter and this allowed other vegetation to grow.
c) The Earth went into an Ice Age to the North, locking all moisture in Northern Europe.
d) Because Boisei's environment became dryer, he adapted to it by eating dry vegetation.

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  Copyright 2006, Rene Canales