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Dr Deano Stynder
Curator: Cenozoic
Palaeontology Collections
Natural History Department
Iziko South African Museum
Box 61, Cape Town 8000
South Africa
Phone: +27 (0)21 481 3894
Fax: +27 (0)21 481 3993
e-mail: dstynder@iziko.org.za
I am responsible for curating the important Langebaanweg fossil
collection. This site has provided a unique insight into the
terminal Miocene/early Pliocene faunas of the region, which, amongst
other species, includes a bear (Agriotherium africanum), an
hipparion (Eurygnathohippus cf. baardi), a sivathere (Sivatherium
hendeyi), a gomphothere mastodont (cf. Annacus sp.), and a false saber-toothed cat (Dinofelis
sp.). Unfortunately primates are rare
and currently only includes two fragmentary cercopithecoid teeth.
I am interested in our evolution and the ecological contexts in
which we evolved. In the study of human evolution, it is important
to realize that our ancestors did not exist in isolation of their
environments. Their lives were intricately woven into the fabric of
past and changing ecologies. Their interaction with other species
and environments were critical factors in shaping their morphology
and also in driving further evolutionary change. Thus, in order to
gain an understanding of our earliest ancestors, it is important to
also study the other species with which they shared the environment.
My approach to the study of human evolution is thus holistic and
requires expertise in both human and non-human vertebrate
palaeontology.
The majority of my projects are situated in South Africa’s Fynbos
Biome. Specific foci include:
- Human craniofacial evolution
- Ecomorphological studies of large mammals in the terminal
Miocene/early Pliocene Langebaanweg fossil assemblage
- Environmental change in the Fynbos Biome
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