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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Archaeological Anthropology

Selected Works

2009

Hominid

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Pleistocene Human Footprints From The Willandra Lakes, Southeastern Australia, Steve Webb, Matthew L. Cupper, Richard Robins Feb 2009

Pleistocene Human Footprints From The Willandra Lakes, Southeastern Australia, Steve Webb, Matthew L. Cupper, Richard Robins

Steve Webb

Human and other hominid fossil footprints provide rare but important insights into anatomy and behaviour. 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 19-23 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 …