Metrical data for suid third molars from the Shungura Formation, the Koobi Fora Formation, Hadar, and the Olduvai Beds are analyzed for each of the main genera and are set out in diagrammatic form against an appropriate time scale to facilitate visual comparison of samples from different levels. This helps to clarify the extent of variation in the same species from different sites. The analyses suggest that species transitions occurred in several lineages at about 2.7–2.8 Ma and, less clearly, around 1.6–1.8 Ma. Increasing hypsodonty is compatible with increasing amounts of harsh diet. Whether or not these changes are triggered by some external factors needs further investigation.
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Cooke, H.B.S. (2007). Stratigraphic variation in Suidae from the Shungura Formation and some coeval deposits. In: Bobe, R., Alemseged, Z., Behrensmeyer, A.K. (eds) Hominin Environments in the East African Pliocene: An Assessment of the Faunal Evidence. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3098-7_5
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