Travel Guides Southern Africa - Wildlife, Game Reserves, Safaris, Photographic Safaris, Birding Safaris, Hiking

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CRADLE OF HUMANKIND
BOLT'S FARMS/ COOPERS B 


BOLT'S FARM 
Bolt's Farm consists of a series of lime quarries some 2.5-km south-west of Sterkfontein Caves.

Fauna discovered from this site Include fossil elephant, pig, antelope, saber-toothed cat and rodents. The fossils indicate a range , of different dates. Certain fossil rodents, for example, dating to about 4.5 million years, make these the oldest deposits in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. Other species have been dated to between 3.4 -2.9 million years old. The remains of three sabretooth cats studied were excavated from an ancient pit. These Dinofelis individuals were found together with the remains of at least eight baboons. Professor Basil Cooke has suggested that the pit acted as a natural trap into which the cats and baboons fell. Possibly, the cats looking for an easy meal, jumped into the pit, ate the baboons and then not being able get out of the pit also died.

COOPERS B
Coopers B is situated about 1.25 km from Sterkfonteln Caves. It became the third South African cave deposit to yield a hominid fossil when a molar tooth was found by Mr J Staz In 1938. Apart from a significant sample of faunal remains excavated by Dr Brain, the site has yielded part of the face of a Paranthropus (Austra/opithecus) robustus and some isolated teeth.The site has been excavated by Dr C.K. Brain, Dr L. Berger and Ms C. Stelnlriger of the University of the Witwatersrand. 

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