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When did the robust australopithecine lineage become extinct?
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human evolution
An artist's depiction of five species of the human lineage.
The robust australopithecine lineage, also known as the genus Paranthropus, became extinct approximately 1 million years ago.1
These hominins, which included species such as P. aethiopicus, P. robustus, and P. boisei, were characterized by their specialized cranial and dental features, including massive jaws and large molars adapted for a vegetarian diet. While they represent a distinct evolutionary trajectory that emphasized these specialized adaptations, they ultimately disappeared from the hominid evolutionary tree around this time.2314