Dental development in Australopithecus and early Homo

Abstract

Human ontogeny requires nearly twice the time as that of living apes1. This extended period of maturation is usually regarded as a significant evolutionary advance enhancing the importance of learning1–5. Mann6 suggested that alteration of the timing of growth and development occurred very early in hominid evolution, using evidence based on a human–like pattern of dental development identified in juvenile hominid dentitions from South African cave sites (primarily Australopithecus robustus from Swartkrans). He interpreted a human–like pattern to indicate a long human-like schedule of maturation. In contrast, recent study of incremental lines in tooth enamel7 suggests short developmental periods for Australopithecus and even for early members of the genus Homo. Here I report patterns of dental development for A. afarensis, A. africanus, A. robustus, A. boisei, H. habilis and early H. erectus, indicating that A. robustus and A. boisei (‘robust’ australopithecines) differ from other hominid species. Most early hominids resemble pongids rather than modern humans in patterns of dental development.