Australopithecus robustus

A heavily-built hominid that lived in Africa about 3 to 1 million ya, alongside Australopithecus africanus and the earliest humans. It was characterized by massive jaws and teeth that were adapted to the consumption of tough vegetable foods rather than meat. Fossil remains have been found in eastern and southern Africa (notably at Koobi Fora, Omo, Olduvai, Swartkrans and Sterkfontein). This species probably became extinct when Homo erectus, a sophisticated tool user, colonized new habitats, becoming more numerous and marginalizing australopithecine populations.