Paranthropus aethiopicus

Also known as Black Skull Hominin, Ethiopian Robust Australopithecine

Paranthropus aethiopicus possessed an imposing skull characterized by an enormous sagittal crest, dramatically flaring cheekbones, and massive premolars and molars adapted for powerful mastication. Roaming the lake basins and wooded river valleys of East Africa during the Late Pliocene, this early hominin processed tough, fibrous plants, seeds, and subterranean tubers. Most famously represented by the manganese-stained 'Black Skull' discovered near Lake Turkana, the lineage marks the earliest recognized emergence of the specialized robust hominin morphotype.