Discoveries
Fossil Animals
Aardvarks
Among the numerous fossil fragments of ancient mammals, over 40 specimens of aardvarks (Family:… read more
Birds
Langebaanweg is probably the richest fossil bird site older than 2 million years in the world!… read more
Elephants
Proboscideans (elephants and their close relatives) are found in abundance at Langebaanweg, and… read more
Giraffes and Bovids
Prof. Terry Harrison’s research at Langebaanweg is based on comparisons of the mammalianfauna … read more
Hipparion or Three-Toed Horse
Amongst the many mammalian groups present at Langebaanweg are included a substantial sample of… read more
Hippos
We do not have any complete skeletons of the Langebaanweg hippos (hippopotamids). These animals… read more
Hyenas
Hyenas are members of the Family Hyaenidae. Despite their outward appearance, they are more… read more
Micromammals
A micromammal is a small mammal such as a shrew, mouse, rat or mole rat. What can these small… read more
Wild Pigs
The Langebaanweg wild pigs (or suids as they are scientifically called as they belong to the… read more
Other Fossil Sites
Past Environments
Changing sea levels
Sea levels drop globally during an ice age (also called a glacial period) as seawater is taken… read more
Geology at the WCFP
The Langebaanweg ‘E’ Quarry sediments form part of the Varswater Formation which is part of the… read more
How old is it anyway?
Relative dating methods are used to indicate the general age of a given fossil or artefact and… read more
Isotopes in palaeontology and archaeology
The isotopes of a chemical element are the various configurations of its atoms. For example,… read more
Palaeo-ecology
Paleoecology is the investigation of individuals, populations, and communities… read more
Plants in the past
Almost all plant life on Earth can be divided into three categories based on the way plants… read more
The environment 5-5.2 million years ago
During the course of her doctorate, Tamara Franz-Odendaal did stable isotope analyses on many of… read more
What we know from fossil bones and teeth
In order to try and work out how extinct animals lived and behaved, scientists study the… read more
