Paranthropus boisei was a fossil hominim that had some features in common with the modern Gorilla, including similar brain size (530cc), strong brow ridges, and a flat nose. Powerful jaw muscles were attached to a large ridge of bone on top of the skull called the sagittal crest, which worked with the heavy jaw and large teeth for chewing tough plant material, hence its colloquial name "Nutcracker Man".

Olduvai Gorge is often called the 'Cradle of Mankind' because of its importance to the study of human evolution. Paranthropus boisei lived in an environment of grasslands, savannahs and woodlands, overshadowed by volcanoes. It co-existed with both familiar African animals and extinct species of baboons and elephants, as well as our closer ancestor Homo habilis.

Location: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Age: Early Pleistocene (1.75 million years ago)

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