TY - JOUR
T1 - Morphology of the Homo naledi femora from Lesedi
AU - Walker, Christopher S.
AU - Cofran, Zachary D.
AU - Grabowski, Mark
AU - Marchi, Damiano
AU - Cook, Rebecca W.
AU - Churchill, Steven E.
AU - Tommy, Kimberleigh A.
AU - Throckmorton, Zachary
AU - Ross, Ann H.
AU - Hawks, John
AU - Yapuncich, Gabriel S.
AU - Van Arsdale, Adam P.
AU - Rentzeperis, Frederika I.
AU - Berger, Lee R.
AU - DeSilva, Jeremy M.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the National Geographic Society and the National Research Foundation of South Africa for significantly funding the recovery and study of the remains from Rising Star. We are grateful to those who facilitated the collection of our comparative data: B. Billings, J. Chupasko, G. Grupe, Y. Haile-Selassie, K. Isler, L. Jellema, E. Langenegger, O. Lovejoy, E. Mbua, M. Morgan, D. Pilbeam, S. Potze, O. Röhrer-Ertl, E. Westwig, B. Zipfel. We thank K. Schroepfer and A. Harvey for assistance in the development and creation of figures. We appreciate I. Thompson and K. Walker for their aid in editing parts of the manuscript. We would also like to thank the University of the Witwatersrand and the Evolutionary Studies Institute for curating the material and hosting some authors and B. De Klerk for her help in coordinating visits.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Objectives: The femoral remains recovered from the Lesedi Chamber are among the most complete South African fossil hominin femora discovered to date and offer new and valuable insights into the anatomy and variation of the bone in Homo naledi. While the femur is one of the best represented postcranial elements in the H. naledi assemblage from the Dinaledi Chamber, the fragmentary and commingled nature of the Dinaledi femoral remains has impeded the assessment of this element in its complete state. Materials and methods: Here we analyze and provide descriptions of three new relatively well-preserved femoral specimens of H. naledi from the Lesedi Chamber: U.W. 102a-001, U.W. 102a-003, and U.W. 102a-004. These femora are quantitatively and qualitatively compared to multiple extinct hominin femoral specimens, extant hominid taxa, and, where possible, each other. Results: The Lesedi femora are morphologically similar to the Dinaledi femora for all overlapping regions, with differences limited to few traits of presently unknown significance. The Lesedi distal femur and mid-diaphysis preserve anatomy previously unidentified or unconfirmed in the species, including an anteroposteriorly expanded midshaft and anteriorly expanded patellar surface. The hypothesis that the Lesedi femoral sample may represent two individuals is supported. Discussion: The Lesedi femora increase the range of variation of femoral morphology in H. naledi. Newly described features of the diaphysis and distal femur are either taxonomically uninformative or Homo-like. Overall, these three new femora are consistent with previous functional interpretations of the H. naledi lower limb as belonging to a species adapted for long distance walking and, possibly, running.
AB - Objectives: The femoral remains recovered from the Lesedi Chamber are among the most complete South African fossil hominin femora discovered to date and offer new and valuable insights into the anatomy and variation of the bone in Homo naledi. While the femur is one of the best represented postcranial elements in the H. naledi assemblage from the Dinaledi Chamber, the fragmentary and commingled nature of the Dinaledi femoral remains has impeded the assessment of this element in its complete state. Materials and methods: Here we analyze and provide descriptions of three new relatively well-preserved femoral specimens of H. naledi from the Lesedi Chamber: U.W. 102a-001, U.W. 102a-003, and U.W. 102a-004. These femora are quantitatively and qualitatively compared to multiple extinct hominin femoral specimens, extant hominid taxa, and, where possible, each other. Results: The Lesedi femora are morphologically similar to the Dinaledi femora for all overlapping regions, with differences limited to few traits of presently unknown significance. The Lesedi distal femur and mid-diaphysis preserve anatomy previously unidentified or unconfirmed in the species, including an anteroposteriorly expanded midshaft and anteriorly expanded patellar surface. The hypothesis that the Lesedi femoral sample may represent two individuals is supported. Discussion: The Lesedi femora increase the range of variation of femoral morphology in H. naledi. Newly described features of the diaphysis and distal femur are either taxonomically uninformative or Homo-like. Overall, these three new femora are consistent with previous functional interpretations of the H. naledi lower limb as belonging to a species adapted for long distance walking and, possibly, running.
KW - Rising Star
KW - bipedal locomotion
KW - hominin
KW - thigh
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U2 - 10.1002/ajpa.23877
DO - 10.1002/ajpa.23877
M3 - Article
C2 - 31228254
AN - SCOPUS:85067866250
VL - 170
SP - 5
EP - 23
JO - American Journal of Physical Anthropology
JF - American Journal of Physical Anthropology
SN - 0002-9483
IS - 1
ER -