Peninj 1

"The Peninj Mandible"
Species: Paranthropus boisei
Age: 1.5 million years
Date of Discovery: January 11,1964
Location: Peninj, Tanzania
Discovered by: Richard Leakey and Glynn Isaac
Peninj Mandible: frontal view
Peninj Mandible: side view
Peninj Mandible: dentition

 

The Peninj mandible is a nearly complete lower jaw from a male Paranthropus boisei. Note the combination of megadont cheek teeth and the relatively small incisor teeth, which reflect the adaptations of Paranthropus boisei towards heavy chewing (grinding of tough, fibrous foods). Note as well the buttressing of the jaw, visible in the bottom photograph as a thickening of the bone at the molars where the ascending ramus converges with the corpus of the mandible (if you need help with these terms go to the skull lesson). This buttress is a structural adaptation to help the jaw withstand the pressure applied to it by the powerful chewing muscles.


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