Plio-Pleistocene fossils from Femur Dump, Bolt's Farm, Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site

Bolt's Farm is a fossiliferous area in the Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng, South Africa), adjacent the well-known hominid sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans and Kromdraai. One particular site on Bolt's Farm has been named 'Femur Dump', located in 2001 during exploratory fieldwork of the HOPE (Human Origins and Past Environments) programme, associated with the HOPE Research Unit (HRU). Femur Dump is possibly the dump of Pit 23 discovered by the Californian African Expedition led by C. Camp between 1947 and 1948. Femur Dump has yielded an important collection of primate and felid remains, similar to those recovered from Pit 23, but new taxa such as hyaenids and tortoises have also been discovered. As was suggested by Cooke (1991), the site was probably a death trap in which faunal remains accumulated. Numerous microfaunal remains as well as macrofaunal fossils have been discovered. Our results confirm a date of between 1.5 and 2 Mya for the deposit, and suggest a mosaic environment and the proximity of water.