During August 2008 world-renowned paleoanthropologist Professor Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand arrived at the Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng, South Africa on one of his regular field trips.
Being a Saturday, he was accompanied by his nine-year-old son Matthew and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Tau. Matthew was already a seasoned fossil hunter, having spent time with his father on research outings since the age of six.
On arrival Lee told Matthew to go and look for fossils while he worked with a colleague, and off they went, Tau leading the way. Suddenly Matthew tripped, and as he caught himself he noticed a rock in amongst grass and bush. “I picked it up and turned it over. I usually find only bugs and insects” tells Matthew. But not this time.
He found himself staring at familiar yellow-white colouring and from experience, knew this was a fossil. He called out to his astonished father and the rest is literally history. Matthew had not just found any old fossil. This was a vital cog in the charting of the history of mankind.
The Secret
Matt sits with his 13 year old sister Megan in the lounge of the family home in the eastern suburbs of Johannesburg telling about the excitement of the find, and the excruciating pressure (for a nine-year-old) of keeping it a secret for nearly two years. “I couldn’t tell anyone” he says. “My dad had a lot of research and investigation to do and papers to write, and until all the facts were in place I was not allowed to say a word.” Now 11, Matthew shows a great depth of understanding of his father’s work and fully intends to follow in his footsteps.
On Thursday 8 April he went from being an ordinary schoolboy to a very familiar face seen in news media here and over the world, looking self-assured and in his element, breezing from one television interview to another radio show. “It was hectic!” he admits. “It was very exciting but also exhausting to rush from studio to studio!”
So has the Matt-Tau duo of fossil-hunters made any more finds? “I can only go with my dad on trips if he goes on a weekend” Matt points out. “He usually goes out on weekdays and I can’t go unless it is school holidays.” Give him time!
Tau the Responsible Explorer
So how does Tau feel about his new-found celebrity? The big three-year-old Ridgeback was just a year old when he took Matthew off in the direction of the hominids of the Cradle. He bounds out to meet us, excited to have visitors and clearly becoming accustomed to posing for photos. “Tau is a wonderful companion when we are out in the bush” says Matthew. “He stays close, never strays, and keeps us safe.” Safe? “In the field there are many different forms of wildlife, some of which can be dangerous, such as snakes” says Matthew. “But we know when we are moving towards something we can’t easily see – Tau indicates when he finds an animal or something we shouldn’t approach, and we don’t disturb it.”
Tau never interferes with wildlife. “He indicates to us when he is aware of something in the bush by standing still and ‘pointing’at the spot. He never chases animals and is in fact very well-behaved” says Matt. “It is as if he understands that he can look, but he can’t touch or chase!”
Matthew tries to get into the field as often as he can, given that he is a busy schoolboy with homework and sport that takes up much of his spare time. An addition to the family canine squad is a female Ridgeback of around 12 months old called Sabi – she also accompanies the explorers when they are doing work in the bush.
This find has created great excitement in the scientific community and is just the start of many decades of following a new thread of research into the origins of humankind.
Vital Statistics
Matthew
Age: 11
School: St John’s Preparatory, Johannesburg
Sibling: Megan (13)
Hobbies: Chess, Computers, Soccer, Paleontology
Pets: The dogs, a cat, and a Corn Snake.
Ambition: To be a Paleontologist one day
Tau
Age: 3
School: Naturally obedient and well-disciplined.
Canine Friends: Sabi, a female Ridgeback of just over a year, and Lady, a Miniature Schnauzer.
Hobbies: Spending time with his best friend, Matthew and the family
Ambition: Find more wide open spaces to explore
Who is Australopithecus sediba?
The skeletons found at the Malapa cave site near Gladysvale in the Cradle of Humankind are the most complete skeletons of hominids ever found. They are of a male of between 9 and 13 years of age, and an older female of around 30 years.
The remains are estimated to be between 1,78 and 1,9 years old. A. sediba was short of stature and had long legs and arms, could climb trees as well as run and was therefore ideally built to live in grasslands and forests. He had a small brain, and a deep-set brow ridge in his skull.
Other members of the Australopithecus genus are Little Foot and Mrs. Ples (A. africanus) both found at Sterkfontein, and the Taung Child, found at Taung in North-West Province.
A. sediba is a new species of hominid (ape-man) that is very likely one of the direct ancestors of modern man.