Australopithecus afarensis
E555611
Australopithecus afarensis is an early bipedal hominin species from eastern Africa, best known from the famous "Lucy" fossil and considered a key ancestor in human evolution.
Statements (79)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Australopithecus
ⓘ
hominin species ⓘ |
| authority | Johanson and White NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| binomialName | Australopithecus afarensis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| bodySize | small-bodied compared to modern humans ⓘ |
| brainSize | approximately 375–550 cubic centimeters ⓘ |
| class | Mammalia ⓘ |
| continent | Africa ⓘ |
| cranialFeature |
low forehead
ⓘ
prognathic face ⓘ |
| culture | no clear evidence of symbolic behavior ⓘ |
| dentition |
reduced canine size compared to apes
ⓘ
thick molar enamel ⓘ |
| diet |
included fruits
ⓘ
included leaves ⓘ included possibly seeds and nuts ⓘ mainly plant-based ⓘ |
| DikikaChild |
catalogNumber DIK-1-1
ⓘ
juvenile specimen ⓘ |
| discoveredBy |
Donald Johanson
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Maurice Taieb NERFINISHED ⓘ Yves Coppens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| environment |
mosaic habitats
ⓘ
open grasslands ⓘ woodlands ⓘ |
| extinctionStatus | extinct ⓘ |
| family | Hominidae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| femurFeature | valgus knee indicative of bipedal gait ⓘ |
| firstAppearance | about 3.9 million years ago ⓘ |
| FirstFamily |
catalogNumber AL 333
ⓘ
group of multiple individuals ⓘ |
| footFeature |
arched foot
ⓘ
non-divergent big toe ⓘ |
| fossilRange | approximately 3.9–2.9 million years ago ⓘ |
| fossilSite |
Belohdelie, Ethiopia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Dikika, Ethiopia NERFINISHED ⓘ Korsi Dora, Ethiopia NERFINISHED ⓘ Laetoli, Tanzania NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genus | Australopithecus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geologicalTimeRange | Pliocene ⓘ |
| importance |
central to debates on human ancestry
ⓘ
key taxon for understanding human bipedal evolution ⓘ |
| infraorder | Simiiformes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| LaetoliFootprints |
associated with bipedal trackways
ⓘ
dated to about 3.6 million years ago ⓘ |
| languageAbility | no evidence of complex language ⓘ |
| lastAppearance | about 2.9 million years ago ⓘ |
| locomotion |
arboreal climbing ability
ⓘ
habitual bipedalism ⓘ |
| Lucy |
catalogNumber AL 288-1
ⓘ
discovered 1974 ⓘ discovered at Hadar, Ethiopia ⓘ |
| LucyDiscoverer | Donald Johanson NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| nameEtymology | afarensis refers to the Afar region of Ethiopia ⓘ |
| notableSpecimen |
Dikika child
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
First Family NERFINISHED ⓘ Lucy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| order | Primates ⓘ |
| parvorder | Catarrhini ⓘ |
| pelvisFeature | short broad ilium adapted for bipedalism ⓘ |
| phylogeneticRole |
early member of the human lineage
ⓘ
likely ancestor of later Homo species ⓘ |
| phylum | Chordata ⓘ |
| posture | upright ⓘ |
| primaryFossilLocality | Hadar, Ethiopia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| recognizedBy | paleoanthropologists worldwide ⓘ |
| region | East Africa ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Australopithecus africanus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Homo erectus NERFINISHED ⓘ Homo habilis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| sexualDimorphism | pronounced ⓘ |
| subfamily | Homininae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| suborder | Haplorhini NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| superfamily | Hominoidea NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| taxonRank | species ⓘ |
| toolUse |
no definitive stone tools known
ⓘ
possible simple tool use inferred from anatomy ⓘ |
| yearDescribed | 1978 ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.