Australopithecine dental dimensions in a contemporary population

Two unrelated American negro males with extremely large teeth are described. The maximum reported values for Australian aboriginal mesiodistal crown diameter are exceeded in 8 out of 16 tooth groups. The majority of the negro dental measurements either exceed or lie between the mean values given in the literature for Australopithecus and Paranthropus. This casts doubt on the concept that a distinct morphological gap separates fossil from contemporary man.