In 1959, Mary Leakey made the first hominine discovery in East Africa at the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania which resembled the robust australopithecines already found in South Africa. After reconstructing the skull which was built up out of hundreds of fragments, it was found that this specimen was even more "robust" than its southern relatives. At first, it was named Zinjanthropus boisei, but later changed to Australopithecus boisei. There is still however a lively debate over the genus name and this species is also often referred to as Paranthropus boisei. A common perception is that the robust species of australopithecine differs sufficiently from the gracile type to warrant a different genus name.

Height	1.2 – 1.4 metres
Weight	40 – 80 kg
Cranial Volume	410 – 530 cm³
Known Date	2.6 – 1.2 million years ago
Distribution	Eastern Africa
Physique	Very heavy build; relatively long arms
Skull form	Prominent crests on top and back of skull; very long, broad, flattish face; strong facial buttressing
Jaws/Teeth	Very thick jaws; small incisors and canines; large, molar-like premolars; very large molars
Sexual Dimorphism	Marked sexual dimorphism