Australopithecine 2-2
Australopithecines. (4-1 mya) Ape of South.
- first by Raymond dart 1924 South Africa taung Valley.
- A. Africanus, robustus, afarensis - Lucy.
- Geography.
- Lake chad, hadar, Olduvai. East African
- Sterkfontein. Taung valley. Swartkrans. South Africa.
Features. Gracile. 3 to 4ft. 30 to 70 kg. Africanus.
- Primate
- Long arms.
- 400 and 600 cc
- Low and flat forehead but rounded in africanus.
- Brow ridges
- Large jaw
- No chin.
- Man. Like
- Gracile
- Sagittal crest absent.
- Smaller canines.
- Temporal fossa, mastoid process and zygomatic arch developing towards man.
- Foramen Magnum forward.
- Pelvis and legs bipedalism adjusted. Linea aspera.
- Non divergent toes
- Osteo donto keratic culture. R Dart.
- Hunting. Small animals. did not have fire ability yet. Possibly scavenger. Cannot hunt big animals without good tools and group hunting. Cave life.
Features. Robust. Robustus
- 4 to 4.5 ft
- 40 to 80 kg
- Heavy built body. Long arms. Human like in post cranial anatomy.
- 500 and 600 cc.
- Sagittal crest present
- Message zygomatic region and mastoid process not developed.
- Temporal fossa is large
- Large supraorbital region
- Less parabolic dental arcade and simian shelf present.
- Large jaw.
- Pelvis and legs have Gorilla and human features. Divergent toe.
•9 species. vary in robusticity & size.
•Large premolars and molars. Small canines and small brain.
•Phylogenetic. Opinion divided on phylogeny by Donald Johanson and Timothy white two branches theory. Alan Walker discovery led to 3 branch theory.
- Ar. Ramidus. T white. 1994. 4.5mya. 17 fossilsA. anamensis. first australopith. Now controversy as skull discovered. Mrs Leaky 1995 4mya.A.afarensis. Johanson 1975 Lucy 3.2 mya. 1994 13 fossils with adults and juveniles.
- A. garhi
- homo or not ?
- A. africanus.
- Homo or robustus ? Controversy.
- A. aethipithecus
- robustus or boisei ?
A. anamensis. Land Turkana.
- 4mya.M leaky & A walker. Allia Bay. Lake Turkana. Kenya.
- similar to ardipithecus.
- Primitive characteristics like
- large canine
- parallel tooth row in upper jaw not parabolic.
- Lower third premolar with large outercusp & small inner cusp. Woodland ecosystem.
A. afarensis. Hadar. Laetoli.
- 3.6- 3 myaLaetoli Tanzania. Hadar, EthiopiaLucy
- 1m height.x
- short legs than trunk and arms.x
- males 1.5 m.x
- brain like chimpanzee.X
- shoulder similar to modern man.x
- phlanges same as human length but curved.x
- traces of arboreal suspensory locomotion.x
- glenoid fossa slightly tilted than man = climbing abilities.x
- Mosaic of human and ape features.x430 cc. hyoid bone like apes. no speech possible. larger canines.x
- two cusps of third premolars are more equal in size = more human like.x
- canines smaller than earlier x
- parabolic tooth row. X
- round heels. double arches in foot. non divergent toes.
- Laeoteli footprints. bipedalism confirmed. Habitat forest Woodlands and open country. Diverse diet.
A. or Kenyanthropus platyops
- Flat fac
- Diversification of homininae. 3-1 mya
A. garhi. 2.5 mya = surprise
- Berhane Asfaw found this species in Ethiopia middle awash region, Bouri. 1999bones, teeth, partial skeleton and skull. Teeth larger than australopithecine. Third premolar cusps were almost equal in size. Beneath the nose face had primitive projection and brain size was small 450 cc. Ratio of humorous to the FEMur was human like. Femur was longer. Lake side life.First tool use.
- 3.3 mya to 1.6. Oldowan complex. First hominin culture. Au. afarensis or platyops. Au garhi by Desmond Clark cut marks at mammal bones. australopithecus also had flexor muscle in the thumb which allows better precision. Therefore tool use possible.
Au. africanus
- Raymond dart found at Taung site. Also sterkfontein dated 3 and 2 million years ago.
Extinction of australopithecine
- Au aethiopicus. Au boisei. Or paranthropus.
- Au. aethiopicus Found 2.5 million years ago 410 CC brain and old y gorge around lake turkana.
- Au boisei. Lake turkana 510 CC brain 2 tell1 million years ago.
- Smaller front teeth, larger back teeth, larger faces, well developed sagittal crest. enormous molars and premolars. Chewing muscles are very strong.
- Au or Pa. robustus. 2.0 till 1.5 mya. And Au sediba 2mya. Ate hard foods. C4 grass. 80% grass diet.
- Lee Berger. Au. sediba - Jo face and teeth are relatively small. Cybermatics do not fair outwards. Broad pelvis and oval shaped human like. small body and long arms like australopithecine. large fingers and powerful muscles for arboreal setting but long-term for precision gripping and tool production. Brain size 420 cc ee smaller than early homo. May have played role in our ancestry.