Australopithecus africanus STS 5 Mrs Ples cranium replica Full-size reconstruction cast reconstruction

Australopithecus africanus Cranium Sts 5 "Mrs. Ples" BH-007$208.00 The Australopithecus africanus Skull Sts 5 "Mrs. Ples" was discovered in 1947 by R. Broom and J. Robinson in Sterkfontein, Transvaal, South Africa. Originally thought by Broom to be a female, Sts 5 is now considered by most to be a male. The discovery of this nearly complete cranium of a mature specimen led to a much more positive reception of South African australopithecines as hominids. Twenty years earlier Raymond Dart labeled a skull found at Taung "Australopithecus africanus." The dentition of that skull indicates that it was a juvenile, which led to much criticism and broad dismissal of Dart's contention that the skull was a hominid; instead, critics considered it an ape. Like other early hominids, Sts 5 had an ape-sized brain with a cranial capacity about 485 cc. Compared to Australopithecus afarensis, it has a more rounded skull, a less projecting face, absence of cranial crests, and smaller front teeth. Howeve