Perimortem fractures in Lucy suggest mortality from fall out of tall tree

John Kappelman (), Richard A. Ketcham, Stephen Pearce, Lawrence Todd, Wiley Akins, Matthew W. Colbert, Mulugeta Feseha, Jessica A. Maisano and Adrienne Witzel
Additional contact information
John Kappelman: The University of Texas at Austin
Richard A. Ketcham: The University of Texas at Austin
Stephen Pearce: Austin Bone and Joint Clinic
Lawrence Todd: The University of Texas at Austin
Wiley Akins: The University of Texas at Austin
Matthew W. Colbert: The University of Texas at Austin
Mulugeta Feseha: Paleoanthropology and Paleoenvironment Program, Addis Ababa University
Jessica A. Maisano: The University of Texas at Austin
Adrienne Witzel: The University of Texas at Austin

Nature, 2016, vol. 537, issue 7621, 503-507

Abstract: Abstract The Pliocene fossil ‘Lucy’ (Australopithecus afarensis) was discovered in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 1974 and is among the oldest and most complete fossil hominin skeletons discovered. Here we propose, on the basis of close study of her skeleton, that her cause of death was a vertical deceleration event or impact following a fall from considerable height that produced compressive and hinge (greenstick) fractures in multiple skeletal elements. Impacts that are so severe as to cause concomitant fractures usually also damage internal organs; together, these injuries are hypothesized to have caused her death. Lucy has been at the centre of a vigorous debate about the role, if any, of arboreal locomotion in early human evolution. It is therefore ironic that her death can be attributed to injuries resulting from a fall, probably out of a tall tree, thus offering unusual evidence for the presence of arborealism in this species.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/nature19332

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