Australopithecus
(noun)
a taxonomic genus within the subfamily Homininae; a group of extinct hominids related to humans
Examples of Australopithecus in the following topics:
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Early Hominins
- A key feature that Australopithecus had in common with modern humans was bipedalism, although it is likely that Australopithecus also spent time in trees.
- Australopithecus anamensis lived about 4.2 million years ago.
- Australopithecus africanus lived between 2 and 3 million years ago.
- Two other species, Australopithecus bahrelghazali and Australopithecus garhi, have been added to the roster of australopiths in recent years.
- They include Australopithecus robustus of South Africa, and Australopithecus aethiopicus and Australopithecus boisei of East Africa.
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Early Homo
- The Homo genus, to which humans belong, evolved from our close primate relatives, Australopithecus, and is distinguished by cranial size.
- The Australopithecus genus evolved in eastern Africa around 4 million years ago before spreading throughout the continent, eventually becoming extinct 2 million years ago.
- During this time period various forms of australopiths existed, including Australopithecus anamensis, A. afarensis, A. sediba, and A. africanus.
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Early Human Evolution
- Hominins, who were bipedal in comparison to the other hominoids who were primarily quadrupedal, includes those groups that probably gave rise to our species: Australopithecus africanus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, along with non-ancestral groups such as Australopithecus boisei.
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Primates
- Homo, estimated to be about 2.4 million years old, evolved from Australopithecus ancestors.
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Genus Homo
- In comparison to Australopithecus africanus, H. habilis had a number of features more similar to modern humans.