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Glite Dictionary
Paranthropus

Paranthropus

1 9.9
An extinct early human relative that lived in Africa long ago
  • noun
  • /ˌpærənˈθroʊpəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Paranthropus
  • The genus Paranthropus includes species that show adaptations for a herbivorous diet.
  • Paranthropus robustus

Examples

  • The species Paranthropus robustus had distinctive features that set it apart from other early human ancestors.

  • Among them were the large, vegetarian man-ape Paranthropus and various members of the human genus, Homo, who thrived with the further spread of dry grasslands and the continued shrinking of forest habitats.

    Academic text (1994)

  • For convenience of classification, I've decided to call the species... Paranthropus Erectus Greamensis.

    Skullduggery (1970)

  • The teeth of Paranthropus observed in this study, however, do not show such a marked narrowing and condensation of perikymata cervically.

    Blog text (26)

  • Paleontologists study fossils of Paranthropus to understand the dietary habits of early hominids.

Synonyms

genus Paranthropus
vsParanthropus
  • Archaic
9.9

A group of extinct early human ancestors like Australopithecus robustus

is the current term for the extinct African hominid group from the Pleistocene

Compounds

genus Paranthropus
  • Archaic
9.9

A group of extinct early human ancestors like Australopithecus robustus

Surface Forms

Paranthropus singular
Paranthropi plural

Etymology

Paranthropus comes from Greek parts para- meaning 'beside' and anthropos meaning 'human', so it means 'beside humans'. This is a helpful way to remember that Paranthropus were extinct early human relatives who looked human-like but were a separate group from modern people.