Press Release: December
9, 1998
December 17: South
African Journal of Science full article on
the discovery, by RJ Clarke
December 14: Clarke
to continue research at Sterkfontein
December 11: Dating the bones - how it
was done
World's first ape-man fossil skull with skeleton found
at Sterkfontein
The world’s first-ever find of an entire ape-man skull - and its skeleton - has
been discovered at Sterkfontein by Dr
Ron Clarke of the Wits Palaeo - Anthropology Research Group. It is dated at about 3,5
million years old. The find is stunning.
 It is the skeleton of
one of humanity’s early ancestors and will answer many of the questions concerning
human evolution that continue to mystify scientists.
(AP Photo) Ron Clarke, centre, and dig workers
Nkwane Molefe, left, and Stephen Motsumi, right, at the press conference
at Wits on 9th December
Past finds of Australopithecus
have been either a partial skull or a partial skeleton, but never both of the same
creature. This is a mature adult "with unusual characteristics".
For the first time palaeontologists will know what kind of skull goes  with what kind of limbs for one
species of ape man and how they moved around more than three million years ago.
The discovery is full of world ‘firsts’: the skull is complete with both its
lower and upper jaws, even its teeth are in contact - and the skull is with its skeleton.
To have found it at all in the massive dark cavern is a "staggering
achievement".
It is also the first time that such a complete ancient tibia with fibula (lower leg)
has been found - or such a complete ape-man foot, and radius (outer forearm).
"Just one bone would be exciting but this is apparently the whole skeleton - the
secret to knowing how the creature functioned," was the  excited response of Phillip Tobias,
Professor Emeritus of the Wits Anatomical Sciences
Department. "This eliminates any speculation."
Adds Tobias, "This is the most significant find ever to come out of Sterkfontein,
including Mrs Ples (cranium
only, without lower jaw or teeth). It is the most important find out of South Africa since
the Taung skull was found in
1924 - this probably exceeds that in importance."
"Exactly how much will be revealed by the skeleton will not emerge for about a
year," says Dr Clarke, Director of Excavations at Sterkfontein. "But what we do
already know is that it will reveal a very great deal about the anatomy and evolution of
an early ape-man."
Dr Clarke, who has been working at Sterkfontein for the past seven years, made the
discovery by following his uncanny ‘palaeo-detective’ instincts after his
initial finding in 1994 of four fossil footbones of what Professor Tobias dubbed ‘Little Foot’.
It was his find of Little Foot that gave much information about our  earliest ancestors and
confirmed that the feet of this early ancestor of the human race had some ape-like
features and some human features. It walked upright yet was also a tree-climber.
He announced at that time: "We now have the articulated parts of both lower legs
and feet of the same individual. This suggests that the whole skeleton was probably
fossilised after the ape-man (hominid) fell down a shaft, and the rest of the skeleton may
well be encased in the ancient lime at Sterkfontein." How right he was.
"I was convinced then that the skeleton had to be there in the ancient cave infill
far beneath the layers that had yielded all the other  Australopithecus
bones," says Clarke.
The unassuming single-minded anthropologist, against all odds, was determined to put
Sterkfontein on the World Heritage map. He pursued his quest by giving his two sharp-eyed
assistants, Nkwane Molefe and Stephen Motsumi, a cast of the fragment of the shin bone to
search for a matching cross-section in the deep damp dark cavern.
It was like looking for a needle in a haystack - searching in the dark cave with
hand-held lamps. "Their work was absolutely crucial."  Miraculously,
within two days they found the piece - at the opposite end to where they had previously
excavated. The fit was perfect and subsequent arduous chiselling of the concrete-like rock
exposed the lower leg bones and a complete forearm bone. (Photo:
Stephen Motsumi, right, sheds some light on matters as Ron Clarke takes his turn
with the chissel)
Again, months went by as the three men chiselled away inside the damp grotto.
"There had to be more - but nothing more was emerging; I was at the point of
despair," Clarke recalls.
Then he noticed a displacement in the thick lime layers and deduced the skeleton could
have fallen below. He changed focus.
As he narrowed the trail, he became so certain that he left Stephen Motsumi with
instructions to telephone him if his chisel revealed the slightest sign of hope. Stephen
rang. Clarke sped to Sterkfontein; he was right again, the signs of another bone had
indeed begun to appear.
The cautious uncovering of the bone went on, and more appeared. All  of a sudden he realised it was
the back of a lower jaw. "Then I saw a glint of enamel." Stephen and I literally
held our breath. "This can’t be true," Clarke called out, "this is an
upper tooth! We’ve got the upper jaw - and the lower. I don’t believe it -
Stephen, Stephen, we’ve got the whole skull!" This was a world ‘first’
and indeed was a palaeontologist’s dream come true.
The creature had slumped face down, its head resting on its left arm - and died. The
rest is history. |
