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What foods may have been part of the Ardipithecus diet?
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Ardipithecus
Reconstructed frontal view of the skeleton of “Ardi,” a specimen belonging to the early hominid species Ardipithecus ramidus.
Based on paleontological evidence from the Aramis site, Ardipithecus was a woodland omnivore. Its unspecialized dentition and tooth wear patterns indicate that it did not rely on a specialized diet of fruit, as living chimpanzees do, nor did it consume the tougher, fibrous foods associated with later Australopithecus species.1
Instead, the diet of Ardipithecus likely consisted of a varied range of food sources, including:
- Fruits1
- Nuts1
- Small vertebrates1
- Eggs1
Carbon isotope analysis of its teeth confirms that this hominin depended primarily on the woodland environment for its nutritional needs rather than open grassland habitats. Its physical adaptations, such as a grasping big toe and long fingers, suggest it foraged for these foods within an arboreal setting.1