Taung Child Skull Replica

$173.00

The Taung Child skull is the fossilized skull of a young Australopithecus africanus. It was discovered in 1924 by quarrymen working for the Northern Lime Company in Taung, South Africa.

SKU: H1JW2

Description

Taung Child Skull Replica measures 3.1 in. Taung Child Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

Australopithecus africanus remains of earliest stages of human evolution. Taung, Bechuanaland. 1924. 3 pieces.

The Taung Child skull is the fossilized skull of a young Australopithecus africanus. It was discovered in 1924 by quarrymen working for the Northern Lime Company in Taung, South Africa.

The Taung skull or Taung Baby skull is in repository at the University of Witwatersrand. Dean Falk, a specialist in brain evolution, has called it “the most important anthropological fossil of the twentieth century.

The Taung Baby skull fossil has most of the face and mandible with teeth and, uniquely, a natural endocast of the braincase. It is estimated to be 2.3 million years old.

The Taung Child was originally thought to have been about six years old at death because of the presence of deciduous teeth, but it is now believed to have been about three or four, based on studies of rates of enamel deposition on the teeth.

There was some debate over the age of this creature initially because it was unclear if it grew at the speed of a human, or of an ape. Compared to an ape, it would have been aged about 4 years, and compared to a human, it would have been aged around 5 to 7 years old.

In 2006, Lee Berger announced the Taung Child probably was killed by an eagle or other large predatory bird since the similarity of damage to the skull and eye sockets of the Taung Child.

It is often seen in modern primates that are known to have been killed by eagles. There are talon marks in the eye as well as a depression along the child skull that is common in creatures that have been preyed upon by eagles.

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Additional information

Weight 2 lbs
Dimensions 3.1 in
Taung Child Facts

Catalog no. Taung 1
Common name Taung Child
Species: Australopithecus africanus
Age: ~2.8 mya; 3.3 years when deceased
Place discovered: Taung, South Africa
Date discovered: 1924
Discovered by Raymond Dart
Conservation Status: Extinct