Australopithecus africanus not to be confused with Australopithecus afarensis due to similar spelling and pronunciation lived around 3.3 mya to 2.1mya. There have been many instances of fossils belonging to this species being found but the very first was discovered in 1924. "Members of this species havelong been referred to as gracile australopiths to distinguish them from therobust group." (Odiga, 356) It is amazing that this species was likely smaller than Lucy's species, they also are seen to have less sexual dimorphism. It is not surprising to find that this species has both ape-like and human-like features along with the rest of the genus that show both bipedalism and the ability to climb.
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The Australopithecines
Non-FictionAn essay I wrote on the genus Australopithecus for my biological anthropology lab. Each chapter is a paragraph.
