To date, more than 145 teeth of Ardipithecus ramidus have been recovered from the Middle Awash region, including several strips of lower (mandibular) and upper (maxillary) jaws. These teeth have thinner enamel layers than Australopithecus but not as thin as chimpanzee teeth. The dental morphology and wear pattern of Ardi, the partial female skeleton ARA-VP-6/500, offered a unique opportunity to study the teeth in the jaw of the animal; researchers concluded that Ardi was a partially terrestrial and partially tree-living animal that dined a wide variety of plants, primarily from the woodland habitats and small patches of forest in her region.
The surprise with A. ramidus is that her upper canines are not the long, sharp pointy ones that are seen in male chimpanzees and related species, but rather blunt stubby teeth more like modern humans.
Sources and Further Information
Suwa, Gen, et al. 2009 Paleobiological Implications of the Ardipithecus ramidus Dentition. Science 32:694-99.
- Ardipithecus ramidus, the blog post, which has links to recent news stories
- Lucy, famous Australopithecus afarensis
- Hominin
- Aramis, Ethiopia
- Bipedal locomotion
- Stable Isotope Analysis
- Phytoliths
- Middle Awash
