Table of Contents
What were the Australopithecus known for?
Australopithecus afarensis is one of the longest-lived and best-known early human species—paleoanthropologists have uncovered remains from more than 300 individuals! They also had small canine teeth like all other early humans, and a body that stood on two legs and regularly walked upright.
What are the Specialities of Australopithecus?
Fossils show this species was bipedal (able to walk on two legs) but still retained many ape-like features including adaptations for tree climbing, a small brain, and a long jaw. many cranial features were quite ape-like, including a low, sloping forehead, a projecting face, and prominent brow ridges above the eyes.
What is the most significant finding in the evolution of australopithecines?
The adaptation to bipedal locomotion (1) is of particular significance in human evolution. All australopithecines possess anatomical characteristics of the pelvis, femur and spinal column that facilitate bipedal locomotion.
Why was the discovery of the Australopithecus Lucy considered to be so important in history?
Over the next 25 years, more evidence emerged and showed that Dart had been right all along. By the time Lucy came along, anthropologists accepted that australopithecines were early humans, not just apes. So upon her discovery, Lucy became the oldest potential ancestor for every known hominin species.
What species was Lucy?
Australopithecus afarensis
Lucy/Organism
Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy’s species. When this small-bodied, small-brained hominin was discovered, it proved that our early human relatives habitually walked on two legs. Its story began to take shape in late November 1974 in Ethiopia, with the discovery of the skeleton of a small female, nicknamed Lucy.
Is Turkana boy older than Lucy?
The public press on Turkana Boy has been minuscule compared to that of Lucy, likely because this find was claimed to be 1.4 million years old by some experts and as old as 1.9 million Darwin years by others.
How did the Australopithecus africanus get its name?
After Prof. Raymond Dart described it and named the species Australopithecus africanus (meaning southern ape of Africa), it took more than 20 years for the scientific community to widely accept Australopithecus as a member of the human family tree.
How many species of Australopithecus are there?
Australopithecus literally means ‘southern ape.’ It is an extinct genus of members of the human family tree. Scientists generally accept five species: A. afarensus, A. africanus, A. anamensis, A. garhi, and A. sediba, as belonging to the genus. We’ll take a look at each of the Australopithecine species in turn,…
How old are the fossils of Australopithecus afarensis?
The fossils date to 3.5 to 3.3 million years old and were discovered in Woranso-Mille in Ethiopia, close to sites of a similar age that produced A. afarensis specimens. If correct, A. afarensis was not the only hominin around in east Africa at this time.
How old was Lucy the Australopithecus when it was found?
Artist’s rendering of Australopithecus afarensis, which lived from 3.8 to 2.9 million years ago.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. “Lucy,” a 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis skeleton found by anthropologist Donald Johanson in 1974 at Hadar, Ethiopia.Cleveland Museum of Natural History.