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CRADLE OF HUMANKIND
KROMDRAAI 

KROMDRAAI 
The Kromdraai, is situated about 1 .5 km north of the Sterkfontein caves.

Kromdraai is known for the first discovery of Paranthropus robustus, a more robust line of hominid that existed between 2-1 m. y .a. in South Africa. In 1938 a schoolboy named Gert Terblanche picked up some skull fragments and teeth from Kromdraai. After a part of the palate and some teeth were shown to Broom, he tracked down the boy and subsequently several more pieces of the skull. Broom excavated at Kromdraai for a short period in 1941 and then after the war in 1947. Broom recognised that the hominids from Kromdraai were different from the Sterkfontein specimens and consequently named them Paranthropus robustus. Broom and later Robinson described the difference between the Australopithecus and Paranthropus specimens. They noted that Paranthropus robustus was more heavily built than Australopithecus afrlcanus, It had a large flat, dish-shaped face and very large speciallised molars and premolars used for grinding tough fibrous or gritty food.

Since then other hominid specimens, stone tools, and many faunal remains have been excavated by Dr Bob Brain, Dr Elisabeth Vrba, and Dr Francis Thackeray.

Remarkably, three different kinds of sabretoothed cat have been found at Kromdraai -Dlnofelis, Homotherium and Megantereon. Megantereon had elongated smooth-edged canines, which it probably used to slash and tear its victims. Tbe other two cats had shorter wider canines, but the edges of the Horhotherlum's canines were serrated like a bread knife.

Current excavations are being carried out in the open by the Transvaal Museum (Northern Flagship Institution). the University of the Witwatersrand and Harvard University.