The Drimolen skull: the most complete australopithecine cranium and mandible to date

I report on a well-preserved Paranthropus robustus skull and another mandib le from the recently discovered dolomitic cave site of Drimolen, Krugersdor p District, South Africa. The skull (DNH 7), a presumed female, consists of the first cranium and articulated mandible with the most complete dentitio n yet described for this taxon. Found juxtaposed to the skull was a large a nd presumably male mandible, with almost complete denitition (DNH 8), Paran thropus robustus was described from Kromdraai in South Africa in 1938 and i n 1948 from Swartkrans, and has until recently been definitively known only from these two sites.(1-3) Owing to the distortion of many of the Swartkra ns crania, it has been suggested that P. robustus displays a smaller degree of intraspecific variability than the better preserved specimens of Parant hropus boisei from East Africa.(4,5) Owing to the excellent preservation of this new skull, it is now possible to demonstrate that P. robustus shows a greater degree of intraspecific variability in both morphology and size, I ndicating greater sexual dimorphism in this species, than was previously th ought.(4).