Swartkrans Cave is a renowned palaeoanthropological site in South Africa’s ‘Cradle of Humankind’, which currently represents the largest repository of Paranthropus robustus fossils, dating to <2.4 – 1 million years ago (Ma). Since its discovery in 1938, our scientific understanding of P. robustus has been primarily based on cranial materials, including completed skulls from Swartkrans and Drimolen caves, as well as fragmented, post-cranial elements. In 2019, a near-complete lower limb of an adult female P. robustus was recovered from the Hanging Remnant portion of Member 1 (~1.8 Ma) at Swartkrans, comprised of a femur, tibia and partial pelvis, which is the first of its kind discovered in southern Africa. New and innovative research has now allowed us to unpack the degree of sexual dimorphism in this species, as well as peer inside the internal structure of these fossils, which has provided remarkable insight into unique locomotion patterns and habitat preferences. Yet, taphonomic damage found on this leg also provides potential clues as to why P. robustus went extinct around 1 Ma.

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