Paranthropus robustus. A model of the early hominid Paranthropus robustus. P. robustus means "robust equal of man" and the name is sometimes used interchangeably with Australopithecus robustus. P. robustus had a long, broad flattish face with facial buttressing and a powerful lower jaw. It was heavily built and its diet included vegetarian food. This species lived from 2.2 to 1 million years ago and is an extinct relative of humans. Fossil remains of the species were discovered in Swartkrans, a cave in South Africa.