Dataset for: Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not consume substantial mammalian meat

Incorporation of animal-based foods into early hominin diets has been hypothesized as a major catalyst of important evolutionary events, including brain expansion. However, direct evidence of the onset and evolution of animal resource consumption in hominins remains elusive. The nitrogen-15-to-nitrogen-14 ratio of collagen provides trophic information about individuals in modern and geologically recent (<200,000 year) ecosystems, but diagenetic loss of this organic matter precludes studies of greater age. In contrast, nitrogen within tooth enamel is preserved for millions of years. Here, we report enamel-bound organic nitrogen and carbonate carbon isotope measurements of Sterkfontein Member 4 mammalian fauna, including seven Australopithecus specimens. Our results suggest a variable but plant-based diet (largely C3) for these hominins. Therefore, we argue that Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not engage in regular mammalian meat consumption., All data are available in the main text or the supplementary materials. Data was analyzed using the Stable Isotopes Bayesian Ellipses (SIBER) package (version 2.1.) and the Turner et al. (2010) statistical code. The R code is included in the Supplementary Materials. All specimens are housed at the Evolutionary Study Institute (ESI) at the University of Witwatersrand (Johannesburg, South Africa) under the curatorship of Dr. Zipfel. All specimens are accessible to researchers following a fossil access application process, which is also managed by Dr. Zipfel.
Tooth enamel from 43 specimens from Pliocene Sterkfontein Member 4 mammalian fauna was analyzed for stable carbon (δ13Cenamel) and nitrogen (δ15Nenamel) isotopes (Table S1). Analyzed taxa include Australopithecus sp. (n = 7), two non-hominin primates Papionini (n = 8) and Cercopithecoides (n = 1), bovids (n = 12; including browsing (n = 11) and grazing (n = 1) taxa), felids (n = 4), canids (n = 5) and hyenids (n = 6). For information ..., , # This dataset includes tables and files supporting the manuscript “***Australopithecus*** at Sterkfontein did not consume substantial mammalian meat”

Contact Tina Lüdecke ([[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])) or Alfredo Martínez-García ([[e-mail])](mailto:[e-mail]) with any questions. This manuscript has been accepted at *Science* for publication (28-Nov-2024):

Lüdecke, T., Leichliter, J.N., Stratford, D., Sigman, D.M., Vonhof, H., Haug, G.H., Bamford, M.K., Martínez-García, A.: *Australopithecus *at Sterkfontein did not consume substantial mammalian resources.

##### The contents of these Datasets are described below 

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vt4b8gv1f](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vt4b8gv1f)

**Tables S1 to S6, including:**

Table S1: Summary of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data for Sterkfontein Member 4 specimens (n = 43). Includes collection ID, taxon, group, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values (‰) with standard ...