Calcium isotopic patterns in enamel reflect different nursing behaviors among South African early hominins

Abstract

Nursing is pivotal in the social and biological evolution of hominins, but to date, early-life behavior among hominin lineages is a matter of debate. The calcium isotopic compositions (d44/42Ca) of tooth enamel can provide dietary information on this period. Here, we measure the d44/42Ca values in spatially located microsized regions in tooth enamel of 37 South African hominins to reconstruct early-life dietary-specific variability in Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus, and early Homo. Very low d44/42Ca values (