Editing Paranthropus (section)

==Palaeoecology==
===Habitat===
[[File:Upper Omo River Valley, Ethiopia (12562049655).jpg|thumb|upright|Modern-day [[Omo River]] Valley]]
It is generally thought that ''Paranthropus'' preferred to inhabit wooded, riverine landscapes.<ref name=Cerling2011/> The teeth of ''Paranthropus'', ''H. habilis'' and ''[[H. erectus]]'' are all known from various overlapping beds in East Africa, such as at Olduvai Gorge<ref>{{cite journal|first=R. J.|last=Clarke|year=2012|title=A ''Homo habilis'' maxilla and other newly-discovered hominid fossils from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania|journal=Journal of Human Evolution|volume=63|issue=2|pages=418–428|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.11.007|pmid=22561056|bibcode=2012JHumE..63..418C }}</ref> and the [[Turkana Basin]].<ref name="Lague2019"/> ''P. robustus'' and ''H. erectus'' also appear to have coexisted.<ref name=Susman2001/><ref name=Pickering/>

''P. boisei'', known from the Great Rift Valley, may have typically inhabited wetlands along lakes and rivers, wooded or arid [[shrubland]]s, and semiarid woodlands,<ref name=Cerling2011/> though their presence in the savanna-dominated Malawian [[Chiwondo Beds]] implies they could tolerate a range of habitats.<ref name=Bocherens>{{cite journal|first1=H.|last1=Bocherens|first2=O.|last2=Sandrock|first3=O.|last3=Kullmer|first4=F.|last4=Schrenk|year=2011|title=Hominin palaeoecology in late Pliocene Malawi: first insights from isotopes (<sup>13</sup>C, <sup>18</sup>O) in mammal teeth|journal=South African Journal of Science|volume=107|issue=3–4|pages=1–6|doi=10.4102/sajs.v107i3/4.331|doi-access=free}}</ref> During the Pleistocene, there seem to have been coastal and montane forests in Eastern Africa. More expansive river valleys—namely the [[Omo River]] Valley—may have served as important refuges for forest-dwelling creatures. Being cut off from the forests of Central Africa by a savanna corridor, these East African forests would have promoted high rates of [[endemism]], especially during times of climatic volatility.<ref>{{cite journal|first=R.|last=Bobe|year=2006|title=The evolution of arid ecosystems in eastern Africa|journal=Journal of Arid Environments|volume=66|issue=3|pages=564–584|doi=10.1016/j.jaridenv.2006.01.010|bibcode=2006JArEn..66..564B}}</ref>

The Cradle of Humankind, the only area ''P. robustus'' is known from, was mainly dominated by the [[springbok]] ''Antidorcas recki'', but other antelope, [[Giraffidae|giraffes]] and [[Elephantidae|elephants]] were also seemingly abundant megafauna. Other known primates are early ''Homo'', the [[hamadryas baboon]], and the extinct [[colobine]] monkey ''[[Cercopithecoides williamsi]]''.<ref name=Adams>{{cite journal|first1=J. W.|last1=Adams|first2=D. S.|last2=Rovinsky|first3=A. I. R.|last3=Herries|first4=C. G.|last4=Menter|year=2016|title=Macromammalian faunas, biochronology and palaeoecology of the early Pleistocene Main Quarry hominin-bearing deposits of the Drimolen Palaeocave System, South Africa|journal=PeerJ|volume=4|page=e1941|pmid=27114884|pmc=4841245|doi=10.7717/peerj.1941 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Predators===

The left foot of a ''P. boisei'' specimen (though perhaps actually belonging to ''H. habilis'') from Olduvai Gorge seems to have been bitten off by a crocodile,<ref name=Njau2012>{{cite journal|first1=J. K.|last1=Njau|first2=R. J.|last2=Blumenschine|year=2012|title=Crocodylian and mammalian carnivore feeding traces on hominid fossils from FLK 22 and FLK NN 3, Plio-Pleistocene, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania|journal=Journal of Human Evolution|volume=63|issue=2|pages=408–417|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.05.008|pmid=21937084|bibcode=2012JHumE..63..408N }}</ref> possibly ''[[Crocodylus anthropophagus]]'',<ref name=Brochu2010>{{cite journal |first1=C. A.|last1=Brochu|first2=J.|last2=Njau|first3=R. J.|last3=Blumenschine|first4=L. D.|last4=Densmore |year=2010 |title=A New Horned Crocodile from the Plio-Pleistocene Hominid Sites at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=e9333 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0009333 |pmid=20195356 |pmc=2827537|bibcode=2010PLoSO...5.9333B|doi-access=free}}</ref> and another's leg shows evidence of leopard predation.<ref name=Njau2012/> Other likely Olduvan predators of great apes include the [[hunting hyena]] ''Chasmaporthetes nitidula'', and the [[sabertoothed cat]]s ''[[Dinofelis]]'' and ''[[Megantereon]]''.<ref name=Lee2000/> The carnivore assemblage at the Cradle of Humankind comprises the two sabertooths, and the hyena ''[[Lycyaenops silberbergi]]''.<ref name=Adams/>

Male ''P. robustus'' appear to have had a higher mortality rate than females. It is possible that males were more likely to be kicked out of a group, and these lone males had a higher risk of predation.<ref name=Kaszycka2016/>

===Extinction===
It was once thought that ''Paranthropus'' had become a specialist feeder, and were inferior to the more adaptable tool-producing ''Homo'', leading to their extinction, but this has been called into question.<ref name=Wood2004/><ref name=Lee2000/><ref name=Sponheimer2006/><ref name=Backwell2001/><ref name=Susman1988/> However, smaller brain size may have been a factor in their extinction along with gracile australopithecines.<ref name=Du2018/> ''P. boisei'' may have died out due to an arid trend starting 1.45 mya, causing the retreat of woodlands, and more competition with savanna baboons and ''Homo'' for alternative food resources.<ref name=Macho2014/>

South African ''Paranthropus'' appear to have outlasted their East African counterparts.<ref name=Herries2009/> The youngest record of ''P. boisei'' comes from [[Konso]], Ethiopia about 1.4 mya; however, there are no East African sites dated between 1.4 and 1 mya, so it may have persisted until 1 mya.<ref name=Wood2007/> ''P. robustus'', on the other hand, was recorded in [[Swartkrans]] until Member 3 dated to 1–0.6 mya (the [[Middle Pleistocene]]), though more likely the younger side of the estimate.<ref name=Herries2009>{{cite journal|first1=A. I. R.|last1=Herries|first2=D.|last2=Curnoe|first3=J. W.|last3=Adams|year=2009|title=A multi-disciplinary seriation of early ''Homo'' and ''Paranthropus'' bearing palaeocaves in southern Africa|journal=Quaternary International|volume=202|issue=1–2|pages=14–28|doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2008.05.017|bibcode=2009QuInt.202...14H}}</ref>