Paranthropus boisei was first described in 1959 based on fossils from the Olduvai Gorge and now includes many fossils from Ethiopia to Malawi. Knowledge about its postcranial anatomy has remained elusive because, until recently, no postcranial remains could be reliably attributed to this taxon. Here, we report the first associated hand and upper limb skeleton (KNM-ER 47000) of P. boisei from 1.51 to 1.53 Ma sediments at Ileret, Kenya. While the fossils show a combination of primitive and derived traits, the overall anatomy is characterized by primitive traits that resemble those found in Australopithecus, including an oblique scapular spine, relatively long and curved ulna, lack of third metacarpal styloid process, gracile thumb metacarpal, and curved manual phalanges. Very thick cortical bone throughout the upper limb shows that P. boisei had great upper limb strength, supporting hypotheses that this species spent time climbing trees, although probably to a lesser extent than earlier australopiths. Hand anatomy shows that P. boisei, like earlier australopiths, was capable of the manual dexterity needed to create and use stone tools, but lacked the robust thumb of Homo erectus, which arguably reflects adaptations to the intensification of precision grips and tool use. KNM-ER 47000 provides conclusive evidence that early Pleistocene hominins diverged in postcranial and craniodental anatomy, supporting hypotheses of competitive displacement among these contemporaneous hominins.

中文翻译：

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来自肯尼亚Ileret的Paranthropus boisei的上肢。

Paranthropus boisei于1959年首次基于Olduvai峡谷的化石进行描述，现在包括从埃塞俄比亚到马拉维的许多化石。关于颅后解剖结构的知识仍然难以捉摸，因为直到最近，还没有可靠的颅后遗骸归因于该分类单元。在这里，我们报道肯尼亚伊莱雷特地区从1.51到1.53 Ma沉积物的博伊西假单胞菌的第一个相关手和上肢骨骼（KNM-ER 47000）。虽然这些化石显示出原始特征和衍生特征的组合，但整体解剖学的特征是类似于原始古猿的特征，包括斜肩an骨棘，相对较长和弯曲的尺骨，缺乏第三掌骨茎突，手掌拇指掌骨，和弯曲的手动指骨。整个上肢非常厚的皮质骨显示为P。博伊西（Boisei）具有极大的上肢力量，支持了该物种花时间爬树的假说，尽管程度可能比早期的南澳大利亚人要小。手工解剖表明，博伊氏假单胞菌像早期的南方古猿一样，具有创建和使用石材工具所需的手动灵巧性，但缺乏坚固的直立拇指，可以说这反映了对强化精密握把和工具使用的适应性。KNM-ER 47000提供了确凿的证据，表明早更新世的人红素在颅后和颅牙的解剖结构中存在差异，支持了这些同时人红素之间竞争性置换的假设。像早期的南方古剑一样，能够创建和使用石材工具所需的手动灵活性，但缺乏坚固的直立拇指，可以说这反映了对强化精密握把和工具使用的适应。KNM-ER 47000提供了确凿的证据，表明早更新世的人红素在颅后和颅牙的解剖结构中存在差异，支持了这些同时人红素之间竞争性置换的假设。像早期的南方古剑一样，能够创建和使用石材工具所需的手动灵活性，但缺乏坚固的直立拇指，可以说这反映了对强化精密握把和工具使用的适应。KNM-ER 47000提供了确凿的证据，表明早更新世的人红素在颅后和颅牙的解剖结构中存在差异，支持了这些同时人红素之间竞争性置换的假设。