Malapa Hominin 2—MH2
Dublin Core
Title
Malapa Hominin 2—MH2
Subject
Australopithecus sediba
Description
Palmar view of the hand and forearm of A. sediba paratype MH2.
Creator
Image created by Peter Schmid, courtesy Lee R. Berger and the University of the Witwatersrand.
Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australopithecus_sediba
Publisher
Wikipedia
Fossil Item Type Metadata
Discoverer(s)
Lee Berger and team
Type Specimen
MH1
Specimen Name/Nickname
MH2, the paratype
Location (Country)
Malapa, South Africa
Site (Name)
Cradle of Humankind World Heritage site in the Malapa Cave system
Discovery Date
August 15, 2008
Specimen/Species Time Range
Between 1.977 and 1.98 million years ago
Dating Method
Paleomagnetism, stratigraphic analysis, and uranium-lead dating
Specimen Data (Morphology)
At the distal end of the ulna, there is a swelling and outwardly rounded projection for attachment of the muscles used for flexing and adducting—hand motions that include spreading and folding up or bring together. This bony feature is the flexor carpi ulnaris tubercle. Primitive hand morphologies include long, robust, and curved fingers, and strong attachment of the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle. This muscle is located on the palm side of the forearm, and allows for flexing of the fingers. This combination of derived and primitive hand morphologies allows for precision grip, a characteristic exhibited in Homo, but not australopiths.
Related Publications
Conroy, Glenn C., and Herman Pontzer. Reconstructing Human Origins: A Modern Synthesis. 3rd ed., New York & London, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012, pp. 190-192.
Berger, L. R., D. J. De Ruiter, S. E. Churchill, P. Schmid, K. J. Carlson, P. H. G. M. Dirks, and J. M. Kibii. "Australopithecus Sediba: A New Species of Homo-Like Australopith from South Africa." Science 328.5975 (2010): 195-204. Web. 18 Apr. 2017. <http://science.sciencemag.org/content/328/5975/195.full>.
- Date Added
- April 25, 2017
- Item Type
- Fossil
- Tags
- A. sediba, Australopithecus sediba, Hand morphologies, Malapa Hominin 2, MH2, Wrist
- Citation
- Image created by Peter Schmid, courtesy Lee R. Berger and the University of the Witwatersrand., “Malapa Hominin 2—MH2,” Hominid Fossil Repository, accessed May 23, 2022, http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/hominidfossils/items/show/101.