Pan naledi ? Marc Verhaegen 1 June 2017

Pan naledi Pan paniscus + mandible a bit backwards + dentition worn flat The age of Homo naledi and associated sediments in the Rising Star Cave     P.Dirks cs 2017 eLife doi org/10.7554/eLife.24231 New fossil remains of Homo naledi from the Lesedi Chamber, South Africa   J.Hawks cs 2017 eLife doi org/10.7554/eLife.24232

Human-like traits in naledi are not human-derived, but primitive-hominid Feet rather human-like, but also seen in prenatal chimps (Pan). Hands +-humanlike, but hand-bones longer & curved (climbing). Thicker enamel than Pan: aquatic herbaceous vegetation AHV? Small canine teeth: adapted to and/or worn down by AHV? Small hominid, generally bonobo-like (Pan paniscus). Too recent (~250,000 yrs) & too ape-like to be Homo. Ape-sized brain. Possibly slightly larger cf aquatic foods (DHA)? Last molars largests (M3) cf apes & australopiths, unlike Homo. Thorax & scapula very ape- & australopith-like, unlike Homo. Pelvis wide, femoral neck long, australopith-like (leg abduction).

Full Plantigrady Fetal chimp feet at one stage resemble ours (1st toe long & pointing forward): “Only as it approaches its birth does its foot acquire the appearance of a hand. At no stage of its development does the human foot resemble that of an adult ape.” Carleton Coon The Story of Man p.12 IOW, the human foot is generally more primitive-hominid than the chimp’s. This foot was originally not for running, e.g. In ostrich & kangaroo, outer toes are atrophied, middle toes are very long & strong (digiti-grady). Humans, prenatal chimps, australopiths & naledi have flattened feet, with longer outer digital rays (full planti-grady), more like wading or swimming species. Human feet evolved from climbing + swimming/wading to walking.

Australopiths lived in Wetlands Bonobos & lowland gorillas often wade for Aquatic Herbaceous Vegetation (AHV) google illustrations bonobo waterlilies gorilla bai Australopithecines lived in wetlands (Reed 1997) - gracile australopiths “existed in fairly wooded, well-watered regions” - robust australopiths “in similar environs and also in more open regions, but always in habitats that include wetlands.” AL-288 Lucy fossilized in a small slow-moving stream. Johanson & Taieb 1976 “Fossil preservation at this locality is excellent, remains of delicate items such as crocodile & turtle eggs & crab claws being found.” AL-333 A.afarensis, large bone-collection cf. naledi ? Radosevich cs 1992 “The bones were found in swale-like features … very likely they died and partially rotted at or very near this site … this group of hominids was buried in streamside gallery woodland.”

Deliberate Burial = anthropocentric fantasy Naledi Fossil “collapsed from the breccia above” “I am a member of the club who made the discovery of the Naledi Fossil … The cave itself has been known to us and visited frequently for as long as I have been a member. It has indeed been well surveyed and what initially started as 3 different cave systems were all eventually interconnected to create 1 large system. The fossils were discovered in a section known as the Dragon's Back. This section was visited and surveyed and has never seen visitors since the survey was first created (I stand to be corrected but I believe 1980s). A new adventurous member of the club - Steven - set out to re-explore the cave. His visit to the chamber was met with the discovery of the first mandible which had collapsed from the breccia above. It was more a matter of good luck and 20 years of nature's impact that led to the discovery ...” http://ncse.com/blog/2015/10/cave-homo-naledi-textbook-example-how-to-do-science-0016693#comment-2319909560

photo World Ape Fund wild bonobo wading bipedally for waterlilies = naledi livestyle ?

Conclusions Australopithecines are fossil relatives/ancestors of Pan, Homo, Gorilla. They often waded bipedally in forest swamps & wetlands, collecting aquatic herbs (AHV). It’s Pan naledi, possibly Australopithecus naledi, but not Homo naledi. Google unproven assumptions so-called aquatic ape hypothesis