Australopithecus Our Ancient Human Ancestor

The fossil record seems to indicate that Australopithecus is ancestral to Homo and modern humans. It was once assumed that large brain size had been a precursor to bipedalism, but the discovery of …

Dec 21, 2025 · Australopithecus, group of extinct primates closely related to modern humans and known from fossils from eastern, north-central, and southern Africa. The various species lived 4.4 million to …

Jan 3, 2024 · Found 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 …

May 8, 2025 · Get an in-depth profile of Australopithecus, including this hominid's characteristics, behavior, and habitat.

Jul 31, 2025 · Australopithecus represents an ancient group of hominins, including modern humans and their immediate ancestors. This genus holds a significant place in understanding human origins, …

Nov 12, 2024 · Explore Australopithecus: Uncover the evolution, timeline, physical traits, & key discoveries of these early human ancestors in Africa.

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 …

Australopithecus was originally defined by Raymond Dart in 1925 on the basis of a small child’s skull from Taung, South Africa, that was 2-3 million years old.

Australopithecus (from Latin australis, meaning "of the south," and Greek pithekos, meaning "ape") is a group of extinct hominids that are closely related to modern humans.

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 …