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Was Australopithecus arboreal?
Lucy and Selam’s species climbed trees: Australopithecus afarensis shoulder blades show partially arboreal lifestyle. Summary: Australopithecus afarensis was an upright walking species, but the question of whether it also spent much of its time in trees has been the subject of much debate.
When did Mrs Ples live?
3.2-million years ago
The best-known examples of this hominid are the Taung Child and “Mrs Ples”. Lived 3.2-million years ago. An Australopithecus skeleton nicknamed “Little Foot” was found in the Sterkfontein Caves in 1997. Once fully excavated, it will be assigned a species.
Are there any living descendants of the Australopithecus?
Australopithecus is not literally extinct (in the sense of having no living descendants) as the Kenyanthropus, Paranthropus and Homo genera probably emerged as sister of a late Australopithecus species such as Australopithecus africanus and/or A. sediba.
What kind of habitat did Australopithecus robustus live in?
Australopithecus robustus and Australopithecus boisei. Despite its enormous chewing apparatus, it had a relatively small body, the males weighing about 49 kg (108 pounds) and females 34 kg (75 pounds). A. robustus and A. boisei fossils are found with mammals that are usually associated with dry grassland habitats.
How tall was the Australopithecus afarensis when it lived?
This individual stood about 1.6 metres tall (30% larger than ‘Lucy’) and lived about 3.6 million years ago. These fossil footprints were discovered in Tanzania, East Africa and date to 3.6 million years ago. Fossil bones from A. afarensis have been found nearby so it is presumed that they left the tracks.
Where was the first fossil of an Australopithecus found?
Ardipithecus: Developments in Australopithecus research. The first Australopithecus fossil, a skull of a child classified as Au. africanus, was found at Taung in South Africa in 1924.