Skeletal evidence would be most useful in differentiating between Australopithecus afarensis and homo habilis. Someone doing this would also be interested in studying the teeth.
The estimated range of Australopithecus afarensis is believed to have been mainly in Eastern Africa, including regions of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Fossil evidence suggests they lived between roughly 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago.
The smaller cranium of Australopithecus afarensis compared to Homo erectus may be due to differences in brain size and development. Australopithecus had a smaller brain capacity and may have had a less complex brain structure than Homo erectus. The differences in cranial size and shape could also be attributed to evolutionary adaptations and changes in diet, behavior, and habitat between the two species.
Australopithecus afarensis had a more prominent jaw and brow ridges compared to Homo sapiens. Additionally, their faces were more prognathic, meaning the lower face protruded forward. In contrast, Homo sapiens have smaller jaws and flatter faces with less prominent brow ridges.
Australopithecus africanus was not "created" in the traditional sense. It was a species that lived in Africa between 3 and 2 million years ago. It is believed to have evolved from earlier Australopithecus species.
Australopithecus africanus was an early hominid, an australopithecine, who lived between 2-3 million years ago in thePliocene.[2] In common with the older Australopithecus afarensis,A. africanus was slenderly built, or gracile, and was thought to have been a direct ancestor ofmodern humans. Fossil remains indicate thatA. africanus was significantly more like modern humans than A. afarensis, with a more human-like cranium permitting a largerbrain and more humanoid facial features. A. africanus has been found at only four sites in southern Africa - Taung (1924), Sterkfontein (1935), Makapansgat(1948) and Gladysvale(1992).[1]
The estimated range of Australopithecus afarensis is believed to have been mainly in Eastern Africa, including regions of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Fossil evidence suggests they lived between roughly 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago.
The height varied between about 107 cm (3'6") and 152 cm (5'0").
Size of braincase.
There were five species of Australopithecus: Australopithecus afarensis, Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus anamnesis, Australopithecus garhi and Australopithecus sediba. The Australopithecus afarensis remains in Ethiopia are better known as Lucy and this species lived between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago. The africanus lived 3.3 to 2.1 million years ago. The anamnesis lived 4.2 to 3.9 million years ago. The garhi lived about 2.5 million years ago and the sediba lived between 1.97 and 1.98 million years ago.
Australopithecus afarensis means "southern ape of the Afar region." Only the prefix australo- ("southern", from the Latin name Auster for the South Wind) and the suffix -ensis ("belonging to a place") are of Latin origin. Pithecus is from Greek, and afar is from the name of the Afar people of Ethiopia, on whose territory the first specimens of A. afarensis were found.
Gracile Australopithecus, such as Australopithecus afarensis, had a more slender build and smaller molars, suggesting a more varied diet. Robust Australopithecus, like Australopithecus robustus, had a more robust skull and larger molars, indicating a diet of tougher plant foods. These differences reflect adaptations to different ecological niches within early hominin evolution.
The smaller cranium of Australopithecus afarensis compared to Homo erectus may be due to differences in brain size and development. Australopithecus had a smaller brain capacity and may have had a less complex brain structure than Homo erectus. The differences in cranial size and shape could also be attributed to evolutionary adaptations and changes in diet, behavior, and habitat between the two species.
Inconclusive, alas. There is good evidence that Australopithecus afarensis, an ape living between 4 and 3 million years ago, was if not exclusively, then still partly bipedal. Many primates are capable to some degree of bipedalism, if only for short periods, and there is some evidence that more advanced forms of bipedalism evolved among apes even before A. afarensis, but this data is far from conclusive. So all in all, approx. 4 million years ago is a reasonable estimate.
Lucy was one of the very first nearly complete fossils to be found of the species Australopithecus afarensis, a morphological intermediate between more basal species of ape and modern humans.
The average weight of Australopithecus varied among different species, but generally, they are estimated to have weighed between 40 to 110 pounds (18 to 50 kilograms). Australopithecus afarensis, one of the most well-known species, likely weighed around 60 pounds (27 kilograms) on average. Their body structure suggests they were adapted for both bipedalism and climbing.
Australopithecus afarensis had a more prominent jaw and brow ridges compared to Homo sapiens. Additionally, their faces were more prognathic, meaning the lower face protruded forward. In contrast, Homo sapiens have smaller jaws and flatter faces with less prominent brow ridges.
According to scientists, an Australopithecus Afarensis is a Latin term to describe early human species in Eastern Africa between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago. This species had an apelike appearance which included a flat nose, projected lower jaw and etc., however, they were still able to walk upright like humans. The species were known to live in trees and on the ground.