Lake Ndutu
| Lake Ndutu | |
|---|---|
 Flamingoes on Lake Ndutu | |
  Lake Ndutu Location within Tanzania | |
| Location | Arusha Region, Tanzania |
| Coordinates | 3°00′S 35°00′E / 3.00°S 35.00°E |
| Type | Soda lake |
| Various ephemeral streams | |
| Oldupai River | |
| Basin countries | Tanzania |
Lake Ndutu, also called Lake Lagarja,[1]: 18 is a small, seasonal soda lake located in the southern Serengeti in northern Tanzania. It neighbours Lake Masek and lies near the Olduvai Gorge. It is surrounded by plains and woodlands. It is a major gathering site for migratory animals like wildebeest and zebras, serving as a seasonal calving ground.
Excavations at the lake in 1973 uncovered the Ndutu cranium, the incomplete skull of an early hominin.
Description
[edit]Lake Ndutu is located in the southern Serengeti in northern Tanzania. It lies near the western end of the Main Gorge at Olduvai.[2]: 245 It is immediately neighboured by Lake Masek to its southeast. Both are small soda lakes.[3]: 388 Lake Ndutu is surrounded by shortgrass plains and the Ndutu woodlands.[4]
Lake Ndutu is seasonal;[2]: 245 its water level swings dramatically, and at times the lake fully dries. It recedes mostly southwards and eastwards during the dry season, baring broad mud flats.[5][3]: 388 It lies near the head of the drainage system that feeds the Main Gorge at Olduvai and spills into the Olbalbal Depression. The head of the drainage system has small, shallow wetlands. During especially wet years, it is fed by ephemeral streams from the surrounding plains and one links it to Lake Masek.[3]: 388 The two lakes feed the ephemeral Oldupai River.[6]: 117
Ecology
[edit]The surrounding woodlands are composed of Acacia, Commiphora, and Balanites species.[3]: 388
Lakes Ndutu and Masek lie near major wildebeest migration routes within and around the Serengeti, and they are some of the most heavily occupied areas.[3]: 386 The area around the lakes are calving grounds for wildebeest and zebras, who gather between January and March.[7] Wildebeest migrate to plains south of Lake Ndutu from December to May.[1]: 23 When the lake level is high, wildebeest must swim in order to cross, leading to mass drowning events. Thousands of wildebeest can die in these events, though drowning is a ultimately a minor cause of wildebeest mortality.[8]: 96 The lakes also support spotted hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, and lions, who prey upon the migratory animals.[7] Black-backed jackals inhabit the woodlands.[9]
Archaeological finds
[edit]The Ndutu cranium was discovered at Lake Ndutu by Tanzanian archaeologist Amini Aza Mturi from excavations during September to October 1973.[5] The partial hominin skull – whose species identification is disputed[10][11] – is estimated to be 500,000 to 600,000 years old. Lithic materials were also excavated with the skull, including 20 identified tools, mostly hammerstones.[5]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Caro, Timothy M. (1994). Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: group living in an asocial species. Wildlife behavior and ecology. Chicago ; London: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-09434-2.
- 1 2 Rightmire, G. Philip (June 1983). "The Lake Ndutu cranium and early Homo Sapiens in Africa". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 61 (2): 245–254. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330610214. ISSN 0002-9483. Archived from the original on 1 February 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Capaldo, Salvatore D.; Peters, Charles R. (May 1995). "Skeletal Inventories from Wildebeest Drownings at Lakes Masek and Ndutu in the Serengeti Ecosystem of Tanzania". Journal of Archaeological Science. 22 (3): 385–408. doi:10.1006/jasc.1995.0039.
- ↑ "Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority :: What to See - Lake Ndutu". www.ngorongorocrater.org. Archived from the original on 2 August 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Mturi, A. A. (August 1976). "New hominid from Lake Ndutu, Tanzania". Nature. 262 (5568): 484–485. doi:10.1038/262484a0. ISSN 0028-0836.
- ↑ Scoon, Roger N. (2018). Geology of National Parks of Central/Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-73785-0. ISBN 978-3-319-73784-3.
- 1 2 "Ndutu". www.serengeti-national-park.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ Sinclair, Anthony R. E.; Norton-Griffiths, Mike, eds. (1984). Serengeti: Dynamics of an ecosystem. Chicago London: Univ.Pr. ISBN 978-0-226-76029-2.
- ↑ Moehlman, Patricia D. (1979). "Jackal helpers and pup survival". Nature. 277 (5695): 382–383. doi:10.1038/277382a0. ISSN 0028-0836.
- ↑ Clark, R. J. (August 1976). "New cranium of Homo erectus from Lake Ndutu, Tanzania". Nature. 262 (5568): 485–487. doi:10.1038/262485a0. ISSN 0028-0836.
- ↑ Stringer, C. (2016). "The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 371 (1698) 20150237. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0237. PMC 4920294. PMID 27298468.