Question

Australopithecus robustus's large masticatory complex (large molars, face, and muscles) indicate an adaptation to:

a. eating hard food with sand in it.
b. eating a great deal of red meat.
c. eating foods requiring heavy chewing.
d. gnawing on bones.

Answer 1

Australopithecus robustus's large masticatory complex suggests they were adapted to eating foods requiring heavy chewing, such as hard nuts and tough plant materials.

Step-by-step explanation:

The large masticatory complex of Australopithecus robustus, which includes large molars, face, and muscles, indicates an adaptation to a specific dietary habit. Their robust features, notably the sagittal crest and flared zygomatic arch, allowed for large temporalis muscles, useful for chewing. It is evident from fossil records that Australopithecus robustus, a hominid within the genus Paranthropus, had a diet that was coarse and fibrous. This diet likely consisted of hard nuts and seeds, along with other tough plant materials. Therefore, their large masticatory complex is associated with eating foods requiring heavy chewing, rather than consuming red meat or gnawing on bones. The use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze the etchings on their teeth supported this interpretation, further indicating that Paranthropus species like Australopithecus robustus were adapted to process a diet of hard and gritty vegetation.