Fossil sites in the Cradle of Humankind

Bolt’s Farm

Twenty caves with antelope, baboon, sabre-toothed cats and rodents, some of which are between 5-million and 4-million years old.

Swartkrans

Paranthropus robustus, Homo ergaster, baboons, leopards, sabre-toothed cats, hyenas and antelope. Evidence of the earliest controlled use of fire in Southern Africa, and some of the earliest evidence of controlled use of fire anywhere in the world.

Sterkfontein

One of the world’s richest hominid sites. Finds include Australopithecus africanus and an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton.

Minnaar’s Cave

Animal fossils include a jackal skull.

Cooper’s Site

Notable for diverse fauna including pigs, carnivores, antelope and Paranthropus robustus.

Kromdraai

The first specimen of Paranthropus robustus was discovered at this site by a schoolboy, Gert Terblanche, in 1938. The site at which this fossil was discovered (known as “KB”) dates to at least 1.95-million years ago. “KA” is a separate site, associated primarily with the activities of sabre-tooth cats such as Dinofelis.

Plover’s Lake

Abundant fauna including baboon, antelope and an extinct form of zebra. Part of the site was probably a leopard lair. Middle Stone Age deposits with artefacts have been excavated recently.

Wonder Caves

Spectacular cave formations. Fossils include rodents, frogs, lizards and birds.

Drimolen

92 hominid specimens have been discovered here, including Paranthropus robustus and early Homo.

Motsetse

Site with well-preserved fauna, including a sabre-tooth cat.

Gladysvale

Rich fossil site with clear stratigraphy (levels). Two hominid teeth, much fauna and plant remains up to 3-million years old.

Haasgat

Variety of early monkeys.

Gondolin

Many fossils, including an enormous molar tooth of Paranthropus robustus. About 90 000 fossil specimens have been discovered here since 1979.

Makapans Valley

Wealth of animal and hominid fossils stretching back more than 3-million years. The Makapans Valley was declared part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in 2005, and is about 300km from Sterkfontein, near Mokopane in Limpopo province.

Taung

The Taung Skull Fossil Site is where the Taung Child, the type-specimen of Australopithecus africanus, was found in 1924. The site is in the North West province, approximately 300km west of Johannesburg. It was declared part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in 2005, along with the Makapans Valley.

The Cradle of Humankind has links to other World Heritage Sites that also have important fossil remains relating to hominid evolution, including the Sangiran Early Man Site in Java, Indonesia; Zhoukoudian, People’s Republic of China; the Lower Valley of the Awash, Ethiopia; the Lower Valley of the Omo, Ethiopia; and Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli, Tanzania.

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