when did australopithecus afarensis live

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When did the Australopithecus africanus live?

between 3.2 and 2 million years agoAge. This species lived between 3.2 and 2 million years ago.

Where did Australopithecus afarensis live?

Eastern AfricaFound between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania), this species survived for more than 900,000 years, which is over four times as long as our own species has been around.

When was Australopithecus afarensis discovered and where?

On November 24, 1974, fossils of one of the oldest known human ancestors, an Australopithecus afarensis specimen nicknamed “Lucy,” were discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia.

What time period was Australopithecus?

What Is Australopithecus? The genus Australopithecus is a collection of hominin species that span the time period from 4.18 to about 2 million years ago.

When did Australopithecus go extinct?

Perhaps the increased severity of droughts during glacial maxima caused the extinction of the robust australopithecines. There is evidence that Australopithecus africanus persisted to about 2.3 Ma (Delson, 1988), but we do not now know for sure that it survived beyond the origin of Homo at about 2.4 Ma.

How old was Lucy the first human when she died?

Therefore, scientists have suggested that Lucy was between 12 and 18 years old when she died. Evidence from Lucy's skeleton, specifically features of her left os coxa (hip bone) and her limb bones, also support the conclusion that she was a fully mature adult individual (Johanson, Taieb, et al.).

Where are australopithecines found?

The first australopithecine fossil discovered in eastern Africa was an A. boisei skull excavated by Mary Leakey in 1959 in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Since then, the Leakey family has continued to excavate the gorge, uncovering further evidence for australopithecines, as well as for Homo habilis and Homo erectus.

How old is the oldest human found?

Scientists determine age of some of the oldest human bones Some of the oldest human remains ever unearthed are the Omo One bones found in Ethiopia. For decades, their precise age has been debated, but a new study argues they're around 233,000 years old.

Was Lucy the first human?

Perhaps the world's most famous early human ancestor, the 3.2-million-year-old ape "Lucy" was the first Australopithecus afarensis skeleton ever found, though her remains are only about 40 percent complete (photo of Lucy's bones).

What came before Australopithecus?

In a phylogenetic model that emphasizes African Miocene species, Samburupithecus is ancestral to Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Orrorin, and Orrorin begets Au. afarensis, which is ancestral to Homo.

What did Australopithecus africanus evolve from?

africanus is considered to be a gracile australopith by some and a robust australopith by others. Traditionally, the species was favored as the immediate ancestor of the Homo lineage, specifically of Homo habilis. However, some researchers have always believed that Au. afarensis was the common ancestor of both Au.

Did Australopithecus afarensis live in groups?

It seems likely that they lived in small social groups containing a mixture of males and females, children and adults. Females were much smaller than males. In 2010, fossil bones bearing cut marks were found in Dikika in Ethiopia, dating to about 3.4 million years old.

When was Australopithecus afarensis discovered?

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. The first fossils were discovered in the 1930s, but major fossil finds would not take place until the 1970s. From 1972 to 1977, the International Afar Research Expedition—led by anthropologists ...

Where does A. afarensis live?

afarensis appears to have inhabited a wide range of habitats with no real preference, inhabiting open grasslands or woodlands, shrublands, and lake- or riverside forests. Potential evidence of stone tool use would indicate meat was also a dietary component.

What is the group dynamics of early hominins?

It is highly difficult to speculate with accuracy the group dynamics of early hominins. A. afarensis is typically reconstructed with high levels of sexual dimorphism, with males much larger than females. Using general trends in modern primates, high sexual dimorphism usually equates to a polygynous society due to intense male–male competition over females, like in the harem society of gorillas. However, it has also been argued that A. afarensis had much lower levels of dimorphism, and so had a multi-male kin-based society like chimps. Low dimorphism could also be interpreted as having had a monogamous society with strong male–male competition. Contrarily, the canine teeth are much smaller in A. afarensis than in non-human primates, which should indicate lower aggression because canine size is generally positively correlated with male–male aggression.

What is the jawbone of A. afarensis?

A. afarensis had a tall face, a delicate brow ridge, and prognathism (the jaw jutted outwards). The jawbone was quite robust, similar to that of gorillas. The living size of A. afarensis is debated, with arguments for and against marked size differences between males and females.

How big is A. afarensis?

In 1991, American anthropologist Henry McHenry estimated body size by measuring the joint sizes of the leg bones and scaling down a human to meet that size. This yielded 151 cm (4 ft 11 in) for a presumed male (AL 333-3), whereas Lucy was 105 cm (3 ft 5 in). In 1992, he estimated that males typically weighed about 44.6 kg (98 lb) and females 29.3 kg (65 lb) assuming body proportions were more humanlike than apelike. This gives a male to female body mass ratio of 1.52, compared to 1.22 in modern humans, 1.37 in chimps, and about 2 for gorillas and orangutans. However, this commonly cited weight figure used only three presumed-female specimens, of which two were among the smallest specimens recorded for the species. It is also contested if australopiths even exhibited heightened sexual dimorphism at all, which if correct would mean the range of variation is normal body size disparity between different individuals regardless of sex. It has also been argued that the femoral head could be used for more accurate size modeling, and the femoral head size variation was the same for both sexes.

What is the Laetoli fossil?

The Laetoli fossil trackway, generally attributed to A. afarensis, indicates a rather developed grade of bipedal locomotion, more efficient than the bent-hip–bent-knee (BHBK) gait used by non-human great apes (though earlier interpretations of the gait include a BHBK posture or a shuffling movement).

Where were hominin bones found?

Beginning in the 1930s, some of the most ancient hominin remains of the time dating to 3.8–2.9 million years ago were recovered from East Africa. Because Australopithecus africanus fossils were commonly being discovered throughout the 1920s and 40s in South Africa, these remains were provisionally classified as Australopithecus aff. africanus. In 1948, German palaeontologist Edwin Hennig proposed classifying these remains into a new genus, " Praeanthropus ", but he failed to give a species name. In 1950, German anthropologist Hans Weinhert proposed classifying a jawbone from the headwaters of the Gerusi River (near Laetoli) as Meganthropus africanus, but this was largely ignored. In 1955, M.S. Şenyürek proposed the combination Praeanthropus africanus. Major collections were made in Laetoli, Tanzania, on an expedition beginning in 1974 directed by British palaeoanthropologist Mary Leakey, and in Hadar, Ethiopia, from 1972 to 1977 by the International Afar Research Expedition (IARE) formed by French geologist Maurice Taieb, American palaeoanthropologist Donald Johanson, and Breton anthropologist Yves Coppens. These fossils were remarkably well-preserved and many had associated skeletal aspects. In 1973, the IARE team unearthed the first knee joint, AL 129-1, and showed the earliest example at the time of bipedalism. In 1974, Johanson and graduate student Tom Gray discovered the extremely well-preserved skeleton AL 288–1, commonly referred to as " Lucy " (named after The Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds which was playing on their tape recorder that evening). In 1975, the IARE recovered 216 specimens belonging to 13 individuals, AL 333 "the First Family" (though the individuals were not necessarily related). In 1976, Leakey and colleagues discovered fossil trackways, and preliminarily classified Laetoli remains into Homo spp., attributing Australopithecus -like traits as evidence of them being transitional fossils.

How old is Australopithecus afarensis?

Australopithecus afarensis facts. Lived: 3.7 million to three million years ago. Where: East Africa. Appearance: a projecting face, an upright stance and a mixture of ape-like and human-like body features. Brain size: about 385-550cm 3.

Where are Au. afarensis fossils found?

Au. afarensis fossils have been unearthed in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. Map showing sites in Tanzania and Ethiopia where Australopithecus afarensis fossils have been found at Laetoli, Omo, Hadar, Woranso-Mille and Dikika. They have also been found at Lake Turkana in Kenya. Read more.

How old is the oldest hominin?

Its absence, along with the presence of bipedalism, is thought to be characteristic of species on the hominin lineage. The 3.5-million-year-old Laetoli canine belonging to Australopithecus afarensis is the oldest hominin fossil in the Museum's collection.

What is the name of the group of hominins that are upright?

Au. 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.

What is the dental arcade of Australopithecus?

afarensis has a number of distinctive dental features. In some members of the species the tooth rows diverge slightly towards the back, forming a dental arcade (the part of the mouth where teeth sit) that is neither parallel-sided as in modern apes nor more rounded as in humans.

Where are hominin footprints found?

The site of Laetoli in Tanzania preserves the oldest known hominin footprints. Nearly 3.7 million years ago, a volcanic eruption covered the landscape with a layer of fine ash. Rain created a surface like wet cement and, before it hardened, a variety of animals wandered across it.

Where was the first hominin fossil found?

afarensis finds have been made in addition to Lucy and the Laetoli footprints. Knee, AL 129 1a + 1b. Uncovered in 1973, this was the first hominin fossil found at Hadar in Ethiopia.

Where were the fossils of A. afarensis found?

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.

Where did the Afar Depression occur?

The word afarensis is based on the location where some of the first fossils for this species were discovered – the Afar Depression in Ethiopia, Africa. Key fossil discoveries. During the 1970s, two fossil hunting teams began uncovering evidence of ancient human ancestors in east Africa.

How old is Lucy the lizard?

Background of discovery. Age. This species lived between 3.9 and 2.8 million years ago . What the name means.

How old is Lucy the skeleton?

Age: 3.2 million years old This relatively complete female skeleton is the most famous individual from this species, nicknamed ‘Lucy’ after the song ‘Lucy in the sky with diamonds’ sung by The Beatles. Lucy was only about 110 centimetres tall but was a fully grown adult when she died about 3.2 million years ago.

Where was Lucy found?

The discovery of this fossil encouraged Donald Johanson’s team to return to Hadar where they ultimately found ‘Lucy’ and hundreds of other fossils of this species. LH 4 – a lower jaw discovered in 1974 by Mary Leakey’s team in Laetoli, Tanzania.

Where was the first family found?

The ‘First Family’ - a group of A. afarensis fossils discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia in 1975. It became known as the ‘First Family’ because it contained fossils from nine adults and four children. Some unknown disaster overcame this family group, burying them all at the same time.

When was Ardipithecus ramidus discovered?

Today, technology, rather than biology, has become the key to our survival as a species. Discover more. Ardipithecus ramidus. Discovered in the 1990s, this is one of the earliest of our hominin ancestors yet discovered.

Where is Au. afarensis found?

The geographic range of Au. afarensis extends over 1,600 km from the site of Hadar in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia to the Laetoli site in Tanzania (see Figure 11.3). The holotype comes from Laetoli. There is conjecture as to whether the Ethiopian and Tanzanian material should be attributed to the same species, since the sites are distant from one another and separated in time by 800 kya. In addition, if Au. bahrelghazali is included as a geographic variant of the species, their range expands 2,500 km westward into Chad (McHenry 2015). Thus this species was very successful at exploiting a variety of environments.

How many cc is an afarensis?

While chimps’ brains are ~380 cc, Au. afarensis ’ were on average 434 cc, and ranged from 342 to 540 cc. She had both deciduous and developing permanent teeth in her jaws. Finally, her ribs were in anatomical position, which confirmed the conical thorax. Australopithecus afarensis reconstruction.

What materials did Au. afarensis use?

Like extant great apes, they also would almost certainly have used biodegradable materials for tools, such as wooden, ivory, or antler digging sticks. Au. afarensis exhibited premolar molarization and thick molar enamel for masticating a tougher, more dry-adapted diet, such as tubers (large edible roots, e.g. yams).

What is the name of the ape from Afar?

Australopithecus afarensis, or the “southern ape from Afar,” is a well-known species due to the famous “Lucy” specimen. It has been extensively studied by numerous famous paleoanthropologists. As mentioned, it is categorized as a gracile form of australopith. The species survived for over a million years in the changing East African landscape, covering a broad geographic range. The famous Laetoli footprints are attributed to Au. afarensis (see Figures 11.5 and 11.6). They provided support for the then controversial idea of habitual bipedalism, as well as the species’ presence in a more open environment.

What is the transitional phase of apes?

The lower first premolar suggests a transitional phase, termed semisectorial, between the honing, sectorial (single-cusped) premolar of the apes and our more bicuspid premolars. The canines were monomorphic. Like Au. anamensis, their molars were expanded.

How complete is Lucy's skeleton?

In addition, since Lucy’s skeleton was almost 40% complete (making it one of the six most complete fossilized hominin skeletons older than 100 kya), much could be said about her anatomy and locomotor capabilities. Dikika Baby. “ SelamAustralopithecus ” by Jlorenz1 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

When was Lucy discovered?

With the discovery of “ Lucy ” (3.2 mya) (see Figure 11.7) in 1974 by Donald Johanson ’s crew at the site of Hadar in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia, paleoanthropology gained momentum and the rush was on in East Africa to find more evidence of human origins.

Overview

Taxonomy

Anatomy

Palaeobiology

Palaeoecology

See also

Further reading

External links