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Cranial Form of the Hofmeyr Skull: Comparative 3D Geometric Morphometrics

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Hofmeyr

Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

Abstract

Statistical shape analysis (geometric morphometrics) is used to compare cranial form among a worldwide sample of recent humans and fossil humans from Africa, Europe, and Asia. We show that evolutionary changes in cranial size had a major impact on cranial shape. We identify the morphology of the Late Pleistocene Hofmeyr skull from South Africa as typical of the population from which the Eurasian Upper Paleolithic modern humans descended. Moreover, we show that in addition to the Hofmeyr skull several Middle and Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens fossils resemble the Khoesan from South Africa when differences in cranial size are considered.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to F. Grine, K. Cole, S. Wurz, J. J. Hublin and S. Neubauer for their help and access to specimens. We thank C. B. Stringer, P. O’Higgins, T. D. Weaver, F. Grine and E. Delson for their constructive and thoughtful edits and comments during peer-review, which helped improve this contribution. We would like to thank all of the curators who have allowed us to scan the fossil specimens and comparative skeletal material from the following institutions: American Museum of Natural History (New York), Iziko South African Museum (Cape Town), and the University of Cape Town.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Philipp Gunz

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA

    Sarah E. Freidline

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  1. Philipp Gunz
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  2. Sarah E. Freidline
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Correspondence to Philipp Gunz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anthropology and Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

    Frederick E. Grine

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Gunz, P., Freidline, S.E. (2022). Cranial Form of the Hofmeyr Skull: Comparative 3D Geometric Morphometrics. In: Grine, F.E. (eds) Hofmeyr. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07426-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07426-4_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-07425-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-07426-4

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