woodland to open grassland. africanus. In modern day, D. mombuttense only grows in the Congolian rainforests, so its presence could potentially mean the area was an extension of this rainforest. To survive, children may have needed nursing during such periods until reaching perhaps 4 to 5 years of age. Ples"). Most primates do not eat C4 plants. At this time, great apes were classified into the family Pongidae encompassing all non-human fossil apes, and Hominidae encompassing humans and ancestors. Australopithecus afarensis, more commonly known as “Lucy’s species” after Lucy, the famous fossil discovered in Ethiopia in 1974, is an early human species that lived between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago in Eastern Africa. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Australopithecus afarensis is an extinct species of australopithecine which lived from about 3.9–2.9 million years ago (mya) in the Pliocene of East Africa. Scientists have found strong evidence for stone tool use among Australopithecus africanus (3 to 2 million years ago) and several Pleistocene hominins. Winner of the Standing Ovation Award for “Best PowerPoint Templates” from Presentations Magazine. [39], The arms of StW 573 were about 53.4 cm (1 ft 9 in), and her legs 61.5 cm (2 ft 0 in). The latter three are in the Cradle of Humankind. [30] In StW 573, the atlas bone in the neck, important for swiveling and stabalising the head, is more similar to non-human apes and indicates greater mobility to swivel up and down than in humans. The first specimen, Taung child, was described by anatomist Raymond Dart in 1924, and was the first early homininfound. In the upper jaw the third molar is the largest molar, and in the lower jaw it is the second molar. [33], The A. africanus hand and arm exhibit a mosaic anatomy with some aspects more similar to humans and others to non-human apes. [56][57], Around 2.07 million years ago, just before the arrival of P. robustus and H. erectus, A. africanus became extinct in the Cradle of Humankind. afarensis belongs to the genus Australopithecus, a group of small-bodied and small-brained early hominin species (human relatives) that were capable of upright walking but not well adapted for travelling long distances on the ground. It shares this with Australopithecus afarensis, better known as Lucy. About Human Evolution, This Prehistory Web Quest on Evolution - A Process of Change. However, the small canines of males compared to those of females would seem to suggest a much lower degree of male–male aggression than non-human hominins. Australopithecus (/ ˌ ɒ s t r ə l ə ˈ p ɪ θ ɪ k ə s /, OS-trə-lə-PITH-i-kəs; from Latin australis 'southern', and Greek πίθηκος (pithekos) 'ape'; singular: australopith) is a genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. [55] Scratches, gouges, and puncture marks on the Taung child similar to those inflicted by modern crowned eagles indicate this individual was killed by a bird of prey. Where Lived:Southern Africa (South Africa) When Lived:About 3.3 to 2.1 million years ago. Males may have been on average 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) in height and 40 kg (88 lb) in weight, and females 125 cm (4 ft 1 in) and 30 kg (66 lb). At Sterkfontein, fossil wood belonging to the liana Dichapetalum cf. [48] The juvenile specimen STS 24a was diagnosed with an extreme case of periodontal disease on the right side of the mouth which caused pathological bone growth around the affected site and movement of the first two right molars during cyclical periods of bacterial infection and resultant inflammation. The A. africanus shoulder is most like that of orangutans, and well suited for maintaining stability and bearing weight while raised and placed overhead. Such a mix may reflect habitual locomotion both in the trees and walking while upright because inner ear anatomy affects the vestibular system (sense of balance). [35], The leg bones clearly show that A. africanus habitually engaged in bipedal locomotion, though some aspects of the tibiae are apelike, which could indicate that the leg musculature had not been fully reorganised into the human condition. Bilateral Descent: Definition & Variations, What Is Archaeology? RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: The Taung Child (page 22) Why was the Taung child originally discounted? africanussho… However, he classified it as a new species, "A. transvaalensis", and in 1938 moved it into a new genus as "Plesianthropus transvaalensis". A. africanus was a competent biped, though was less efficient at walking than humans. A. africanus also has several commonalities in the upper body with arboreal non-human apes, which is either interpreted as evidence of an at least partially arboreal lifestyle or nonfunctional traits inherited from more apelike ancestors. [49], In 1992, anthropologists Geoffrey Raymond Fisk and Gabriele Macho interpreted the left ankle bone Stw 363 as bearing evidence of a healed calcaneal fracture on the heel bone (which was not preserved), which they believed resulted from a fall from a tree. [14] Many hominin specimens traditionally assigned to A. africanus have been recovered from Sterkfontein Member 4 (including Mrs. Ples and 2 partial skeletons) dating from 2.8 to 2.15 million years ago, and it is the most productive Australopithecus-bearing deposit. 1930S, but major fossil finds would not take place until the.. The length of the gorilla or chimp lineages, most notably by Sir Arthur Keith hominin to... 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