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The original (real) Mrs. Ples skull in the Broom Room at the
Transvaal Museum, Pretoria.
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| Picture by Liz Johnson |
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Dr. Francis Thackeray of the Transvaal Museum took us
into the "Broom Room," a collection of type fossils found by the late
Dr. Robert Broom. Dr. Thackeray demonstrates how a saber-toothed cat
might sink its teeth into the skull of a primitive hominid. |
| Picture by J. L. Kirschvink |
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Jaws of a Australopithecus robustus. |
| Picture by J. L. Kirschvink |
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This tooth and jaw specimen is special because the tooth enamel is
still preserved. |
| Picture by J. L. Kirschvink |
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Dr. Thakeray demonstates how the calcite formation fits onto the top
of Mrs. Ples. This important realization helped in figuring out
the orientation of the Mrs. Ples at the Sterkfontein Cave. |
| Picture by J. L. Kirschvink |
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Early man's biggest threat ... |
| Picture by J. L. Kirschvink |
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Model of how caves like Sterkfontein could have formed and subsequently filled
with the remains of cats and early hominids. |
| Picture by J. L. Kirschvink |
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| Picture by J. L. Kirschvink |
Day 10