Pleistocene human footprints from the Willandra Lakes, southeastern Australia

S Webb, ML Cupper*, R Robins

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

89 Citations (Scopus)
1000 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Human and other hominid fossil footprints provide rare but important insights into anatomy and behavior. Here we report recently discovered fossil trackways of human footprints from the Willandra Lakes region of western New South Wales, Australia. Optically dated to between 1923 ka and consisting of at least 124 prints, the trackways form the largest collection of Pleistocene human footprints in the world. The prints were made by adults, adolescents, and children traversing the moist surface of an ephemeral soak. This site offers a unique glimpse of humans living in the arid inland of Australia at the height of the last glacial period. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)405-413
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Human Evolution
Volume50
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2006

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