Skull of <i>Paranthropus boisei</i>, the Nutcracker Man (IMAGE)

University of Utah

Skull of <i>Paranthropus boisei</i>, the Nutcracker Man

Caption

The skull of Paranthropus boisei, known for decades as Nutcracker Man because of its large, flat teeth. Researchers from the University of Utah and other institutions are publishing a new study in which carbon isotope ratios in tooth enamel reveal that the early human relatives, which went extinct, likely used its big teeth and powerful jaw to chew grasses, but didn’t eat nuts.

Credit

National Museums of Kenya

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