Archaeological excavation. Archaeology assistant carefully checking fossil remains of small animals found at the Sterkfontein caves in South Africa. Numerous early hominid remains have been found at these caves, which were declared a World Heritage Site in 2000. The remains are thought to belong to Australopithecus, early Homo, and Paranthropus species. The small animal fossils are good indicators of the environmental conditions at the time the remains were deposited.