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Australopithecus afarensis:
Overview
Overview
Basic Information
Basic Information
Discovery
Discovery
Au. afarensis was discovered in the 1970's, by teams in Ethiopia and Tanzania, and was officially named in the 1980's.
Paleoanthropologists
Paleoanthropologists
Mary Leakey, Donald Johanson, Tim White, and Zeresenay Alemsged
Geographic range
Geographic range
Found in East Africa
Ethiopia
Kenya
Tanzania
Paleoenvironment
Paleoenvironment
Lived in woody grasslands in Africa.
Sexual Dimorphism
Sexual Dimorphism
The females and males were different sizes. Males were larger, and females were smaller.
Diet
Diet
Au. afarensis had a diverse diet of fruits and leaves and was starting to move towards tougher foods.
Defining features
Defining features
Au. afarensis gives us evidence of bipedalism in early hominins, which makes it a very important species when looking at the evolution of humans.
Ancestral
Ancestral
Brain
Brain
Brain size (380-550 cc)
Prognathism
Prominent brow ridge
long, low and narrow cranium
Post-orbital constriction
Dental
Dental
Diastema
Intermediate canines (Dimorphic)
U-shaped arcade, but getting more parabolic
No chin
Other
Other
Hyoid
Scapula with superiorly oriented glenoid fossa
Long forearms
Long, curved phalanges
Derived
Derived
Dental
Dental
Non-honing complex
Large molars
Other
Other
Bowl shaped pelvis
Bipedal femur
Tibia angle and joint
Valgus knee
Foot
Evolutionary Tree
Evolutionary Tree
(Paleobiology, 2019)
Australopithecus afarensis is dated between 3.6-3.0 mya. This is where we would put Au. afarensis because of the fossil evidence being dated between 3.8-3.0 mya, and we have no evidence to prove that they lived any longer.
It is said that Au. afarensis and Au. anamensis existence did overlap.
Fossils
Fossils
Au. afarensis fossils proved that there was evolving bipedalism during the time of the Australopithecine species.
LH 4
LH 4
This fossil is known as the type specimen for Au. afarensis. This means that this fossil is the one that represents Au. afarensis.
Discovered by Mary Leakey in 1974 in Laetoli, Tanzania.
LH 4 is an adult mandible.
It was dated around 3.7-3.4 mya.
Al 288-1
Al 288-1
This is the most famous Australopithecus fossil, and most know this fossil as "Lucy".
Discovered by Donald Johanson in 1974 in Hadar, Ethiopia.
Lucy is dated at 3.2 mya.
Lucy is a 40% complete specimen.
Lucy is an adult female and was 3ft 5in tall.
Laetoli Footprints
Laetoli Footprints
The Laetoli footprints are a crucial part of the evidence of bipedalism.
Discovered by Mary Leakey and Tim White in (year) in Laetoli, Tanzania.
The footprints are dated from 3.8-3.4 mya.
It is 3 different individuals, and 2 of them were walking together. One was smaller and one was larger. The third footprints are from a larger individual.
They are encased in volcanic ash mixed with rain.
DIK-1-1
DIK-1-1
This fossil of a 3-year-old female skull and partial skeleton is amazing evidence that tells us about early human growth.
This fossil is nicknamed as Dikika Child or Selam.
Discovered by Zeresenay Alemseged in 2000 in Dikika, Ethiopia. Dikika is in Ethiopia's Afar region.
The fossil is dated at 3.3 mya.
The skull was told us that the brain size was evolving.
It was determined to be a female because of the permanent tooth dimensions of the fossil.
This is also the most complete early human child fossil known until Neanderthals.
Dikika child was encased in sandstone.
References
References
https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/fossils/dik-1-1
Lecture
Parins-Fukuchi, Caroline et al. “Phylogeny, Ancestors, and Anagenesis in the Hominin Fossil Record.” Paleobiology 45.2 (2019): 378–393. Web.
(will add more later when i add my photos for the final project)
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