Kantis Fossil Site
Basic information
Sample name: Kantis Fossil Site
Sample aka: KFS
Reference: E. Mbua, S. Kusaka, Y. Kunimatsu, D. Geraads, Y. Sawada, F. H. Brown, T. Sakai, J.-R. Boisserie, M. Saneyoshi, C. Omuombo, S. Muteti, T. Hirata, A. Hayashida, H. Iwano, T. Danhara, R. Bobe, B. Jicha, and M. Nakatsukasa. 2016. Kantis: A new Australopithecus site on the shoulders of the Rift Valley near Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of Human Evolution 94:28-44 [ER 3953]
Geography
Country: Kenya
Coordinate: -1.391° S, 36.724° E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pliocene
Max Ma: 3.5
Min Ma: 3.4
Age basis: other
Geography comments: "on the outskirts of Nairobi... on the eastern should of the Gregory Rift"
there are three fossiliferous beds in succession: KD1, KD2, and KD3
zircon U-Pb dates of 3.4 +/- 0.1 and 3.5 +/- 0.2 Ma are favoured and are consistent with the biochronology, magnetstratigraphy, and 40A/39Ar dates that are also reported
there are three fossiliferous beds in succession: KD1, KD2, and KD3
zircon U-Pb dates of 3.4 +/- 0.1 and 3.5 +/- 0.2 Ma are favoured and are consistent with the biochronology, magnetstratigraphy, and 40A/39Ar dates that are also reported
Environment
Lithology: ash
Taphonomic context: fluvial deposit
Habitat comments: the fossiliferous bed is a "trachytic tuff" and "mudflow deposit", and specifically "moderately consolidated... poorly sorted, matrix-supported lapilli tuff" with "pebbles and cobbles of lithic fragments" and "glass shards"
there are no lithics or other human artefacts
this is apparently an attritional assemblage with no biotic accumulation agent because no damage to bones is reported
there are no lithics or other human artefacts
this is apparently an attritional assemblage with no biotic accumulation agent because no damage to bones is reported
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 624 specimens
Sampling comments: "systematic research" began in 2009, but the exact collection dates are not discussed
some excavation was carried out, but it is not clear whether surface collecting was important
birds and crocodylians were also collected, but counts are not given
some excavation was carried out, but it is not clear whether surface collecting was important
birds and crocodylians were also collected, but counts are not given
Metadata
Sample number: 4361
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2023-08-30 13:51:56
Modified: 2023-08-30 04:11:10
Abundance distribution
27 species
8 singletons
total count 624
geometric series index: 46.4
Fisher's α: 5.749
geometric series k: 0.8020
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7240
Shannon's H: 1.9460
Good's u: 0.9872
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| †Australopithecus afarensis | 4 | |
| Papionini indet. | 66 | |
| Colobini indet. | 7 | |
| Enhydriodon sp. | 1 | |
| Homotherium sp. | 1 | |
| Crocuta sp. | 1 | |
| Ichneumia sp. | 1 | |
| compared to | ||
| Mungos sp. | 1 | |
| compared to | ||
| Elephantidae indet. | 6 | |
| †Hippopotamus cf. protamphibius | 310 | |
| Hippopotamidae indet. | 1 | |
| large | ||
| †Notochoerus euilus | 43 | |
| plus 67 suids | ||
| Kolpochoerus sp. | 3 | |
| questionably referred | ||
| Sivatherium sp. | 13 | |
| Tragelaphini indet. | 3 | |
| plus 183 bovids | ||
| Ugandax sp. | 25 | |
| compared to | ||
| Damaliscus sp. | 3 | |
| compared to: said to be new; plus 52 alcelaphines | ||
| Alcelaphini indet. | 4 | |
| small | ||
| †Oryx cf. deturi | 6 | |
| plus 12 hippotragines | ||
| Kobus sp. | 1 | |
| †Aepyceros aff. dietrichi | 32 | |
| Cephalophus sp. | 2 | |
| Gazella sp. | 12 | |
| †Ceratotherium mauritanicum | 36 | |
| Diceros sp. | 2 | |
| Hipparionini indet. | 39 | |
| "Hipparion s.l. sp." | ||
| Thryonomys sp. | 1 | |