Early human relative ate prehistoric smorgasbord

The four-foot-tall, 100-pound (45-kg) bipedal hominid Paranthropus robustus lived in what is now South Africa alongside direct ancestors of modern humans, as well as hyenas, saber-toothed cats, elephants, baboons, antelopes and others.A prevailing notion among scientists has been that Paranthropus was driven into extinction as Africa's climate became drier because it had a very limited diet, while our direct ancestors thrived on a diverse menu.
It turns out that Paranthropus ate leaves, fruit, nuts, seeds, roots, tubers and perhaps even meat from grazing animals, maybe from scavenging, the researchers said.

Early human relative ate prehistoric smorgasbord | Tech&Sci | Science | Reuters.com

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