[30] It is debated whether or not A. bahrelghazali is simply a western version of A. afarensis and not a separate species. This suggests that erect, straight-legged walking originated as an adaptation to tree-dwelling. [12][13] Significant changes to the hand first appear in the fossil record of later A. afarensis about 3 million years ago (fingers shortened relative to thumb and changes to the joints between the index finger and the trapezium and capitate).[14]. For each of the gracile hominid fossils state whether the following body, 13 out of 15 people found this document helpful, For each of the gracile hominid fossils state whether the following body sections have, traits that are (relative to the last common ancestor that hominids shared with chimpanzees), ancestral, derived, a combination of ancestral and derived, or not found (hint: some answers can. However, hominin species dated to earlier than the date could call this into question. Directed By: Hamed Almasi 2. Early analyses of dental microwear in these two species showed, compared to P. robustus, A. africanus had fewer microwear features and more scratches as opposed to pits on its molar wear facets. Fossil Hominins + Sang-Hee Lee Book Notes.pdf, University of Alabama, Birmingham • ANTH 101. [20], The genus Australopithecus is considered to be a wastebasket taxon, whose members are united by their similar physiology rather than close relations with each other over other hominin genera. Australopithecine definition is - any of various extinct hominids (genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus) that existed two to four million years ago in southern and eastern Africa and include gracile and robust forms exhibiting bipedal locomotion, near-human dentition, and relatively small brains. Question: For each of the gracile hominid fossils state whether the following body sections have traits that are (relative to the last common ancestor that hominids shared with chimpanzees) ancestral, derived, a combination of ancestral and derived, or not found (hint: some answers can be filled out based on the derived traits that distinguish australopithecines in general). Australopithecus afarensis is one of the longest-lived and best-known early human species—paleoanthropologists have uncovered remains from more than 300 individuals! Gracile australopiths had larger incisors, which indicates tearing food was important, perhaps eating scavenged meat. [31][32], A taxonomy of the Australopithecus within the great apes is assessed as follows, with Paranthropus and Homo emerging within the Australopithecus. Australopithecines 1. [52] Microwear patterns on the cheek teeth of A. afarensis and A. anamensis indicate that A. afarensis predominantly ate fruits and leaves, whereas A. anamensis included grasses and seeds (in addition to fruits and leaves). [15] In 1950, evolutionary biologist Ernst Walter Mayr said that all bipedal apes should be classified into the genus Homo, and considered renaming Australopithecus to Homo transvaalensis. (Gracile means "slender", and in paleoanthropology is used as an antonym to "robust".) Try our expert-verified textbook solutions with step-by-step explanations. Key Difference – Paranthropus vs Australopithecus Hominidae is a taxonomic family of primates whose members are known as great apes or hominids.This taxonomic group included the ancient extinct hominins such as Paranthropus, Australopithecus and Homo group including modern man.The Paranthropus is described as a genus of extinct hominins. Australopithecus - Australopithecus - Australopithecus africanus: In 1925 South African anthropologist Raymond Dart coined the genus name Australopithecus to identify a child’s skull recovered from mining operations at Taung in South Africa. Most species of Australopithecus were diminutive and gracile, usually standing 1.2 to 1.4 m (3 ft 11 in to 4 ft 7 in) tall. In 1997, an almost complete Australopithecus skeleton with skull was found in the Sterkfontein caves of Gauteng, South Africa. Found between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania), this species survived for more than 900,000 years, which is over four times as long as our own species has been around. The various species lived 4.4 million to 1.4 million years ago, during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. However, the degree of sexual dimorphism is debated due to the fragmentary nature of australopith remains. Find answers and explanations to over 1.2 million textbook exercises. [43] Furthermore, thermoregulatory models suggest that australopiths were fully hair covered, more like chimpanzees and bonobos, and unlike humans. [5][6], The earliest known member of the genus, A. anamensis, existed in eastern Africa around 4.2 million years ago. These results were compared with data available for the ‘gracile’ australopithecine, A. africanus , and two ‘robust’ australopithecine taxa, A. boisei and A. robustus . This implies meat consumption by at least one of three species of hominins occurring around that time: A. africanus, A. garhi, and/or P. aethiopicus. The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). Initially, anthropologists were largely hostile to the idea that these discoveries were anything but apes, though this changed during the late 1940s. Nonetheless, the wearing patterns on the teeth support a largely herbivorous diet. The smaller “gracile” forms, africanus and afarensis (the species which includes the famous fossil “Lucy”), lived earlier, and are classified within the genus Australopithecus. Australopithecus fossils become more widely dispersed throughout eastern and southern Africa (the Chadian A. bahrelghazali indicates the genus was much more widespread than the fossil record suggests), before eventually becoming extinct 1.9 million years ago (or 1.2 to 0.6 million years ago if Paranthropus is included). Our understanding of the evolutionary relationship existing between Homo habilis and both the gracile and robust australopithecines is incomplete. [21][22][23][24] Resolving this problem would cause major ramifications in the nomenclature of all descendent species. [49] However, such divergence in chewing adaptations may instead have been a response to fallback food availability. [59], It was once thought that Australopithecus could not produce tools like Homo, but the discovery of A. garhi associated with large mammal bones bearing evidence of processing by stone tools showed this to not have been the case. Australopithecus afarensis and africanus, and the other species above, are known as gracile australopithecines, because of their relatively lighter build, especially in the skull and teeth. BRUXELLES L., CLARKE R. J., MAIRE R., ORTEGA R., et STRATFORD D. – 2014. The small-brained Au. Compare and contrast the pre-australopithecines and gracile australopithecines. Classically excluded but cladistically included: Australopithecus (/ˌɒstrələˈpɪθɪkəs/, OS-trə-lə-PITH-i-kəs;[1] from Latin australis 'southern', and Greek πίθηκος (pithekos) 'ape'; singular: australopith) is a genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. [15] The scientific community took 20 more years to widely accept Australopithecus as a member of the human family tree. Australopithecus is sometimes referred to as the "gracile (slender) australopithecines", while Paranthropus are also called the "robust australopithecines". Learn Gracile vs. robust Australopithecines with free interactive flashcards. It was named Australopithecus prometheus[17][18] which has since been placed within A. africanus. Robust, 2 •Australopithecus aethiopicus, A. robustus and A. boisei are known as robust australopithecines, because their skulls are more heavily built –The jaws, cheek teeth, and face are the most heavily built aspects of these fossil hominids –The canine teeth are quite small in all of these species OH 7 Discovery of this jaw in The first report was published in Nature in February 1925. of Questions= 13 INSTRUCTIONS: To answer a question, click the button in front of your choice. [11] Although this is more than the average endocranial volume of chimpanzee brains at 360 cc (22 cu in)[11] the earliest australopiths (A. anamensis) appear to have been within the chimpanzee range,[37] whereas some later australopith specimens have a larger endocranial volume than that of some early Homo fossils. Question: QUESTION 30 Gracile Australopithecines Are Considered Larger And Heavier Than Robust Australopithecines True False QUESTION 31 Based On The Scientific Evidence Dating Back Milions Of Years And Knowing What You Do From Your Readings, Research And Other Work To Date, Explain As Best As You Can How The Radiation Of Primates Occured. Gracile vs. These hominid footprints are remarkably similar to modern humans and have been positively dated as 3.7 million years old. The robust australopithecines all became extinct between 1.5 and 1 million years ago, while one of the gracile autralophithecines is believed to have given rise to the branch leading to the emergence of the genus Homo c.2.5 million years ago. [37], Australopiths shared several traits with modern apes and humans, and were widespread throughout Eastern and Northern Africa by 3.5 million years ago (mya). [41], According to A. Zihlman, Australopithecus body proportions closely resemble those of bonobos (Pan paniscus),[42] leading evolutionary biologist Jeremy Griffith to suggest that bonobos may be phenotypically similar to Australopithecus. [15] Later, Scottish paleontologist Robert Broom and Dart set out to search for more early hominin specimens, and several more A. africanus remains from various sites. Question: Sexual dimorphism in body size in australopithecine hominids seems to be a derived, Question: Small degrees of sexual dimorphism generally indicate _____ levels of competition, Small degrees of sexual dimorphism (less than around 20%) are found in which of the, following hominoids? Australopithecines a group of higher primates whose bones were first excavated in the Kalahari Desert (South Africa) in 1924 and later in East and Central Africa. [60][61] Discovered in 1994, this was the oldest evidence of manufacturing at the time[62][63] until the 2010 discovery of cut marks dating to 3.4 mya attributed to A. afarensis,[64] and the 2015 discovery of the Lomekwi culture from Lake Turkana dating to 3.3 mya possibly attributed to Kenyanthropus. Ardipithecus-Lived in 5.8 - 4.4 Mya(the end of the Miocene & beginning of the Pliocene epoch)-Probably ancestral to Australopithecus Afarensis-Brain volume was about the size of a modern chimpanzee-Tim White of Berkeley, the anatomist says:"Ramidus is the first species this side of our common ancestor with chimpanzees." The Australopithecines are divided into two groups: the Gracile Australopithecines and the Robust Australopithecines.. As such, the genus is paraphyletic, not consisting of a common ancestor and all of its descendents, and is considered an ancestor to Homo, Kenyanthropus, and Paranthropus. Eugène Dubois’s discovery of the Javanese Homo erectus fossils in 1891 refuted the reigning belief that “we got smart before we stood up.” Once Dart’s claims were accepted, the world realized the extent to which that idea was false. Thick dental enamel is associated with which of the following (choose all that apply): Which of these species had the least specialized (most varied) diet? 2002 and 2007) that A. africanus should also be moved to Paranthropus. Original skull of Mrs. Ples, a female A. africanus. The specimen was studied by the Australian anatomist Raymond Dart, who was then working at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Gracile Australopithecines: A general term for Australopithecus afarensis and A africanus that have been so designated because of their lighter build, and differences in skull, teeth [50] Australopiths in general had thick enamel, like Homo, while other great apes have markedly thinner enamel. 4.0-3.9 million years ago This species has recently been found in the Lake Turkana region in Kenya and dates back to 4 million years ago. [38], According to the Chimpanzee Genome Project, the human–chimpanzee last common ancestor existed about five to six million years ago, assuming a constant rate of mutation. Choose all that apply, Question: Australopithecines had a low molar-1 to molar-3 ration which indicates that they ate a, The robust australopithecines had small, wimpy mandibles which indicate that they ate. [11], Australopithecus possessed two of three duplicated genes derived from SRGAP2 roughly 3.4 and 2.4 million years ago (SRGAP2B and SRGAP2C), the second of which contributed to the increase in number and migration of neurons in the human brain. Which of these traits appeared first in the fossil record. [56], Robust australopithecines (Paranthropus) had larger cheek teeth than gracile australopiths, possibly because robust australopithecines had more tough, fibrous plant material in their diets, whereas gracile australopiths ate more hard and brittle foods. Nonetheless, it remains a matter of controversy as to how bipedalism first emerged. The first Australopithecus specimen, the type specimen, was discovered in 1924 in a lime quarry by workers at Taung, South Africa. [39] Sahelanthropus tchadensis, commonly called "Toumai", is about seven million years old and Orrorin tugenensis lived at least six million years ago. [46] It was once thought that humans descended from a knuckle-walking ancestor,[47] but this is not well-supported. Question: Brain size in australopithecine hominids is a derived trait? - Stratigraphic analysis of the Sterkfontein StW 573 Australopithecus skeleton and implications for its age. Australopithecus, group of extinct primates closely related to modern humans and known from fossils from eastern, north-central, and southern Africa. Ardipithecus (5.6 and 4.4) mya, is a Miocene hominin. Other fossil remains found in the same cave in 2008 were named Australopithecus sediba, which lived 1.9 million years ago. While none of the groups normally directly assigned to this group survived, Australopithecus is not literally extinct (in the sense of having no living descendants), as the genus Homo emerged from an Australopithecus species[5][7][8][9][10] at some time between 3 and 2 million years ago. Identify each group’s temporal range (collectively, when did each group exist and for how long). [29], Occasional suggestions have been made (by Cele-Conde et al. Question: Bipedal locomotion in australopithecine hominids is a derived trait? it is not a natural group, and the genera Kenyanthropus, Paranthropus and Homo are included. Debate exists as to whether some Australopithecus species should be reclassified into new genera, or if Paranthropus and Kenyanthropus are synonymous with Australopithecus, in part because of the taxonomic inconsistency. australopithecines are gracile and robust. [16] The first australopithecine fossil discovered in eastern Africa was an A. boisei skull excavated by Mary Leakey in 1959 in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. [54] In 2005, fossil animal bones with butchery marks dating to 2.6 million years old were found at the site of Gona, Ethiopia. Based on these pronounced differences, australopithecines are classified into two distinct types: gracile and robust. [57][58], A study in 2018 found non-carious cervical lesions, caused by acid erosion, on the teeth of A. africanus, probably caused by consumption of acidic fruit. They were also known as “robust australopithecines”. a… be filled out based on the derived traits that distinguish australopithecines in general). In fact, in some australopithecines, the canines are shaped more like incisors. [34][35][36], A. anamensis may have descended from or was closely related to Ardipithecus ramidus. They have cutting edges on the crests. Kay, R.F., 1985, 'DENTAL EVIDENCE FOR THE DIET OF, "Phylogeny of early Australopithecus: new fossil evidence from the Woranso-Mille (central Afar, Ethiopia)", "Exploring the fossil record: Australopithecus africanus", "From Australopithecus to Homo: the transition that wasn't", "The humanity switch: How one gene made us brainier", "Structural History of Human SRGAP2 Proteins", "The evolutionary history of the hominin hand since the last common ancestor of Pan and Homo", "New stratigraphic research makes Little Foot the oldest complete Australopithecus", "New Hominid Species Discovered in South Africa", "A sort of revolution: Systematics and physical anthropology in the 20th century", American Journal of Physical Anthropology, "Paranthropus boisei: Fifty Years of Evidence and Analysis", "Early Homo and the role of the genus in paleoanthropology", "2 @BULLET Enhanced cognitive capacity as a contingent fact of hominid phylogeny", "Cowen: History of Life, 5th Edition - Student Companion Site", "Laetoli Footprints Preserve Earliest Direct Evidence of Human-Like Bipedal Biomechanics", "Bipedality and Hair-loss Revisited: The Impact of Altitude and Activity Scheduling", "Origin of human bipedalism: The knuckle-walking hypothesis revisited", "Independent evolution of knuckle-walking in African apes shows that humans did not evolve from a knuckle-walking ancestor", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, "Humanity's Evolutionary Prehistoric Diet and Ape Diets--continued, Part D)", "Testing Dietary Hypotheses of East African Hominines Using Buccal Dental Microwear Data", "Comparative Anatomy and Physiology Brought Up to Date--continued, Part 3B)", "Evidence for Meat-Eating by Early Humans", "Butchering dinner 3.4 million years ago", "Dental Microwear and Diet of the Plio-Pleistocene Hominin, "Root grooves on two adjacent anterior teeth of Australopithecus africanus", "Earliest known Oldowan artifacts at >2.58 Ma from Ledi-Geraru, Ethiopia, highlight early technological diversity", Metadata and Virtual Models of Australopithecus Fossils on NESPOS, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australopithecus&oldid=998199758, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 January 2021, at 07:44. A response will appear in the window below the question to let you know if you are correct. [44], The fossil record seems to indicate that Australopithecus is ancestral to Homo and modern humans. Practice Quiz for Analysis of Early Hominins: No. [55] In 2010, fossils of butchered animal bones dated 3.4 million years old were found in Ethiopia, close to regions where australopith fossils were found. Choose from 8 different sets of Gracile vs. robust Australopithecines flashcards on Quizlet. There are the robust australopithecines and the more gracile australopithecines. "African Origins" in. Known fossils attributed to these forms range from about 1.2 to 4.2 million years in … Various camps in the field of human historical study have manipulated or distorted (probably unconsciously) the facts about the australopithecines and habilines to suit their own particular viewpoints, and consequently their own fame, fortune and standing in the scientific community, plus the very generous taxpayer-funded research grants available. The earliest evidence of fundamentally bipedal hominins is a 3.6 Ma fossil trackway in Laetoli, Tanzania, which bears a remarkable similarity to those of modern humans. Their canines were smaller, like modern humans, and with the teeth less interlocked than in previous hominins. [39], The brains of most species of Australopithecus were roughly 35% of the size of a modern human brain[40] with an endocranial volume average of 466 cc (28.4 cu in). It is possible that they exhibited a considerable degree of sexual dimorphism, males being larger than females. See more. Two general types are recognized, those with lighter (gracile) bone structure, assigned to the genus Australopithecus, and those with a sturdier (robust) build, assigned to the genus Paranthropus (the members of Paranthropus are sometimes treated as also belonging Australopithecus). [53] The thickening of enamel in australopiths may have been a response to eating more ground-bound foods such as tubers, nuts, and cereal grains with gritty dirt and other small particulates which would wear away enamel. The species survived for over a million years in the changing East African landscape, covering a broad geographic range. [49], In 1992, trace-element studies of the strontium/calcium ratios in robust australopith fossils suggested the possibility of animal consumption, as they did in 1994 using stable carbon isotopic analysis. Until recently, the footpr… Taung Child by Cicero Moraes, Arc-Team, Antrocom NPO, Museum of the University of Padua. [51] Australopithecus species are thought to have eaten mainly fruit, vegetables, and tubers, and perhaps easy to catch animals such as small lizards. It is possible that they exhibited a considerable degree of sexual dimorphism, males being larger than females. The famous Laetoli footprints are attributed to Au. The split from other apes would have taken place earlier, perhaps about 5 mya. It might be outdated or ideologically biased. This preview shows page 2 - 5 out of 16 pages. The first Australopithecus described was the Taung Child, discovered by Raymond Dart, and described in 1925.. Their remains are mostly found in East Africa, and the first fossil is from 3.9 million years ago (mya). Cast of the skeleton of Lucy, an A. afarensis, Genus of hominin ancestral to modern humans, sfn error: no target: CITEREFWoodRichmond2000 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFBriggsCrowther2008 (, Toth, Nicholas and Schick, Kathy (2005). 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