Wikipedia says “Paranthropus boisei or Australopithecus boisei was an early hominin, described as the largest of the Paranthropus genus (robust australopithecines).
It lived in Eastern Africa during the Pleistocene epoch from about 2.3 until about 1.2 million years ago.”
Dan Baker writes “It’s said that Paranthropus Boisei had very powerful arms, but you can see in these photos, the artists depict powerful looking pectoral muscles as well as very powerful trapezoid muscles, attached about half way up the back of the skull.
The trapezoid muscles being attached in this manner would make it difficult for the creature to turn its head in the same way that we do as humans. They would share the same problems as gorillas AND our favorite lady “Patty”. In the Patterson film, we see Patty turn her entire upper body when looking back at Bob Gimlin. Gorillas raise their heads and then turn back. Paranthropus would most likely have done something similar.
There are interesting parallels that can be seen when studying paleoanthropology and Primatology and comparing some of the attributes of Bigfoot. Of course,this is for the most part, speculation on my behalf. I hope you find it interesting.”
David D
Man, this fairy tale stuff, it keeps turning up like a bad penny; or just a cartoon! Get real!
Jacqueline O
Ken Ham…is that you???
Daniel D
He’s a big fella. Shave that dude down and put him in a local bodybuilding show and see what he can do. Won’t win any beauty contests but he could definitely be a bodybuilder. Oh and I don’t care if I’m first.
Daniel D
Damn, David you beat me to the punch. Ha ha
Karen C
One thing I have to say is I hope our Pacific Northwest Bigfoots are not this UGLY!!
Frankie P
Very interesting – hope we learn more about this part of our family tree – I think it’s a contender. Give it a few thousand years, a new place, and it could easily have evolved into “our” bf. Thank you, and looking forward to more.
rubin c
That’s a scary dude!
rubin c
Eastern Africa, where?
Jacqueline O
Thank you Dan! This is my favorite subject…evolution of all life and, in particular, primates. It’s amazing to discover how much the world has changed, since the Earth was created only 10,000 years ago………
Also, just to let you know for educational purposes, when writing a species name only the Genus is capitalized. For example, Paranthropus boisei, just as Wikipedia shows. (Technically both words should be italicized as well). I’m just trying to be helpful 🙂
Jacqueline O
Also, does anyone here listen to NPR, or watch PBS, or read National Geographic, Smithsonian, Scientific America, etc.?
R.I.P. Al Jazeera America, for providing unobjective and unbiased global news. The United States shut you down and now you will be missed…
Maynard w
My high school biology/ botany/ zoology teacher studied under Donald C. Johanson. The work on ‘Austrolopithicus’ was I believe flawed by an attempt to anthropomorphose it. Not sure what species. Its pelvis was like a chimp which can have bi and quadriped locomotion. The processes on its scapula were large as to attach large upper body and arm muscles leading to a mostly arboreal lifestyle. Huge upper body strength. (They were smaller but only known from a limited fossil record. Give a few million years??? As I mentioned once before see (Oxnard 1975) and artistic renderings by Miles Triplett. Maybe?
Duke S
No comment in regard to anything other than improper terminology. The muscle group behind your neck and above your upper lats is your trapezius muscle, which is what Bigfoot has that is extra large and makes it appear he has no neck. Trapezius, not trapezoid.
brad b
Paranthropus went extinct because he kept skipping leg day.
PATRICK
🙂
Gerard C
Regardless of the reality of Bigfoot, I think we can safely conclude that this is a very unlikely contender. It is interesting to study these creatures, but I would not bet on them being the forefathers of Bigfoot.
Kenneth M
Other than the large ears, it looks like what is described in many accounts
Kenneth M
What kind of teeth does it have (e.g. did it have canines – eat meat like many sasquatch encounters allege (grabbing deer, hogs, etc.)
Tony s
I guess almost anything on our evolutionary tree could seem like a contender. After all, these things are most commonly described as half ape and half man. That pretty much describes more than of half our tree.