Scientists found traces of a "prehistoric gang" 1.4 million years old

In sediment deposits on the shore of ancient Lake Turkana in Kenya, an international group of researchers found 21 footprints that have been preserved for over 1.4 million years. According to the authors of the study, the footprints were left in a relatively short period when about eight individuals walked together along the shore.

Comparison of the imprints using two-dimensional and three-dimensional modeling allowed linking them to Paranthropus boisei — an extinct hominin species that lived concurrently with Homo erectus but belonged to a separate branch of human-like ancestor evolution that later died out. This species is also known unofficially as the "Nutcracker Man" due to its very powerful jaws and large molars.

The size of the footprints indicates that most of them could have been left by adult males. The absence of clear female or child footprints in the group allows for a scientific hypothesis about the existence of specific forms of social organization even in such ancient times.

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According to anthropologists, this indicates the males' capacity for mutual tolerance. Despite competition for resources and mates, they could unite into joint groups for protection against predators or more efficient food foraging in a dangerous environment.

This discovery also made significant adjustments to the biological portrait of the species. Previously, Paranthropus boisei were thought to be significantly smaller than their contemporaries — Homo erectus. However, the size of the found footprints indicates the opposite.

Scientists determined that some individuals reached a height of 1.8 meters and a weight of about 75 kilograms. Such parameters bring them closer to the size of modern humans and require a reconsideration of many aspects of this species' biology and behavior.

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Researchers also suggest that Paranthropus boisei might have regularly returned to the lake shores, rich in food resources. At that time, papyrus and other aquatic plants grew in this area, and mollusks and other aquatic organisms were found, which could have been part of their diet. Repeated visits by different groups to these shores over tens of thousands of years, recorded in various geological layers, make the Turkana region a true chronicle of human evolution.

The authors plan to continue excavations, hoping to find new footprints that will help more accurately reconstruct the lifestyle of hominins that inhabited the region about one and a half million years ago.

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