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| Lucy |
The word afarensis is based on
the location where some of the first fossils for this species were discovered –
the Afar Depression in Ethiopia,
Africa.
During the 1970s, two fossil hunting teams began uncovering evidence of ancient human
ancestors in east Africa. One team, co-led by Donald Johanson, was working at
Hadar in Ethiopia. The other team led by Mary Leakey, was over 1,500 kilometres
away at Laetoli in Tanzania. Fossils discovered at the two sites were found to
have very similar features and ages but they did not match the fossils of any
species known at that time. A new species name, Australopithecus
afarensis, was therefore created for them in 1978.
This species is now represented by several hundred fossils from east Africa like ‘Lucy’AL 288-1, Knee AL 129 1a + 1b, LH 4, The ‘First Family’, ‘Selam’ or ‘Lucy’s baby and ‘Lucy's big brother'.
The names Praeanthropus africanus and Praeanthropus afarensis have been suggested as alternatives by researchers who believe this species does not belong in the genus Australopithecus.
This species occupied a range of environments. Some populations lived in savannah or sparse woodland; others lived in denser forests beside lakes. Analysis of their teeth, skull and body shape indicates a diet that consisted mainly of plants. However, fossil animal bones with cut marks found in Dikika in 2010 have been attributed to this species, suggesting they may have included significant amounts of meat in their diets.
Microscopic analysis of their tooth enamel shows that they mostly ate fruits and leaves rather than seeds and other hard plant material. Their cone-shaped rib cage indicates they had large bellies adapted to a relatively low quality and high bulk diet. The position of the sagittal crest toward the back of the skull indicates that the front teeth processed most of the food.
This species is now represented by several hundred fossils from east Africa like ‘Lucy’AL 288-1, Knee AL 129 1a + 1b, LH 4, The ‘First Family’, ‘Selam’ or ‘Lucy’s baby and ‘Lucy's big brother'.
Australopithecus
afarensis is usually considered to be a direct ancestor of humans. It is also considered to be a direct
ancestor of later species of Australopithecus
and all species in the Paranthropus
genus.
More information: Smithsonian Institution
The names Praeanthropus africanus and Praeanthropus afarensis have been suggested as alternatives by researchers who believe this species does not belong in the genus Australopithecus.
Fossils show this
species was bipedal (able to walk on
two legs) but still retained many ape-like features including adaptations for
tree climbing, a small brain, and a long jaw.
This species
probably used simple tools that may
have included sticks and other non-durable plant materials found in the
immediate surroundings.
Stones may also have been used as tools, but there is no evidence that stones were shaped or modified in any way.
It seems likely that they lived in small social groups containing a mixture of males and females, children and adults. Females were much smaller than males.
This species
probably used simple tools that may
have included sticks and other non-durable plant materials found in the
immediate surroundings. Stones may also have been used as tools, but there is no evidence that stones were shaped or modified in any way.
It seems likely that they lived in small social groups containing a mixture of males and females, children and adults. Females were much smaller than males.
This species occupied a range of environments. Some populations lived in savannah or sparse woodland; others lived in denser forests beside lakes. Analysis of their teeth, skull and body shape indicates a diet that consisted mainly of plants. However, fossil animal bones with cut marks found in Dikika in 2010 have been attributed to this species, suggesting they may have included significant amounts of meat in their diets.
Microscopic analysis of their tooth enamel shows that they mostly ate fruits and leaves rather than seeds and other hard plant material. Their cone-shaped rib cage indicates they had large bellies adapted to a relatively low quality and high bulk diet. The position of the sagittal crest toward the back of the skull indicates that the front teeth processed most of the food.
More information: IPHES
If you were to
go to the National Museum in Addis Ababa, you would walk
into a huge room filled with literally tens of tons of fossils, and most of
them would be elephants and rhinos and hippopotamus and monkeys and
giraffes and antelopes and so on. Hominids are
very rare in the landscape, and it's very
rare to find them.
Donald Johnson
wow this is really an amazing story
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