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Articles on Fossils

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These fossil trackways resemble the tracks left by flamingos today, but are bigger. Just above the scale bar one can see (more faintly) the ‘tramline traces’ made by the ancient birds’ stomping action. Charles Helm

Fossil tracks reveal which birds once roamed South Africa’s Cape south coast

One avian track, probably made by a large gull or a small goose, was found in sediments that have been dated to about 400,000 years. That makes it the oldest avian track reported from southern Africa.
What South Africa’s West Coast might have looked like 5 million years ago. In the foreground, a giant wolverine feeds on a pig while chasing away a primitive hyena. Maggie Newman, Geological Society of South Africa and the University of the Witwatersrand

Gigantic wolverines, otters the size of wolves: fossils offer fresh insights into the past

The teeth and limb bones we studied help to understand the role and lifestyle of these species in extinct ecosystems.
The ~2 Ma Homo erectus cranium, DNH 134, from the Drimolen Fossil Hominin site. Matthew V. Caruana

Fossil find suggests Homo erectus emerged 200,000 years earlier than thought

This is a hugely important find. It means that one of our earlier ancestors possibly originated in southern Africa.
Reptile, avian and mammal tracks and Middle Stone Age artefacts on a large track bearing surface which has since been buried by a landslide. Images modified from Helm, et al. 2020. South African Journal of Science, 116

Fossil track sites tell the story of ancient crocodiles in southern Africa

While crocodylian fossil swim traces have been described from other continents, to the best of our knowledge the examples we describe are the first such reptilian swim traces from Africa.

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