The Taung Child
The Taung child was found with the whole face and lower jaw complete with many teeth (Figure 2). As well, most of the cranium portion was intact with a natural endocast of the braincase (Dart, 1925). Only in very rare cases does a fossil have an endocast. Dart focused on the features of the brain because he saw signs of cerebral advancement towards humans. The foramen magnum was positioned upright from the spinal cord which is present in bipedal locomotion in an upright position. When the foramen magnum is positioned directly above the neck, it allows carriage of the head and the ability to look downwards. Four-legged creatures walk with their eyes facing forward, thus the foramen magnum is positioned at the rear of the skull. The bipedal motion
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It was no longer man the hunter, but man the hunted. In the cave, there were dismembered parts of large mammals which were within range of the prey size of many large extant African birds of prey. The mandible was still intact and the skulls were not completely crushed. These features are consistent with the behaviours of birds of prey such as the Black, Martial, and Crown eagle. Typically, hyenas, leopards and other mammalian carnivores crush skulls and break limp bones which leaves bones with scars and puncture marks. Therefore, it was concluded that the Taung child was probably carried a long distance by an eagle over to the cave. Typically, birds of prey have a mass-lifting capability of around 6.1kg. Although the weight of Taung child was estimated to be around ten to twelve kilograms, the body weight of a mammal decreases by a third when it is degutted (Berger and Clarke, 1994). Birds of prey are known to leave postcranial and cranial bones intact, which often leaves an undamaged skull. The location of the limestone cave was positioned on a high cliff face of an escarpment which is the usual nesting position of several birds of prey. In conclusion, the Taung child was likely the prey of eagles. A large bird probably picked up the Taung child by the head using its talons and beak for a long distance back to its cave. As mentioned before, large limbs of mammals were found in the cave, this is typical behaviour for animals that are not predators. They usually take a piece of the hunted animal back to their home because they know that other hunters and scavengers will arrive shortly. The cave was home to the eagles not the Taung
It was no longer man the hunter, but man the hunted. In the cave, there were dismembered parts of large mammals which were within range of the prey size of many large extant African birds of prey. The mandible was still intact and the skulls were not completely crushed. These features are consistent with the behaviours of birds of prey such as the Black, Martial, and Crown eagle. Typically, hyenas, leopards and other mammalian carnivores crush skulls and break limp bones which leaves bones with scars and puncture marks. Therefore, it was concluded that the Taung child was probably carried a long distance by an eagle over to the cave. Typically, birds of prey have a mass-lifting capability of around 6.1kg. Although the weight of Taung child was estimated to be around ten to twelve kilograms, the body weight of a mammal decreases by a third when it is degutted (Berger and Clarke, 1994). Birds of prey are known to leave postcranial and cranial bones intact, which often leaves an undamaged skull. The location of the limestone cave was positioned on a high cliff face of an escarpment which is the usual nesting position of several birds of prey. In conclusion, the Taung child was likely the prey of eagles. A large bird probably picked up the Taung child by the head using its talons and beak for a long distance back to its cave. As mentioned before, large limbs of mammals were found in the cave, this is typical behaviour for animals that are not predators. They usually take a piece of the hunted animal back to their home because they know that other hunters and scavengers will arrive shortly. The cave was home to the eagles not the Taung