Australopithecus

Australopithecus Temporal range: Pliocene
Australopithecus afarensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Hominidae
Genus:	Australopithecus R.A. Dart, 1925
Species
†A. afarensis †A. africanus †A. anamensis †A. bahrelghazali †A. garhi

Australopithecus^[1] is a genus of extinct hominids closely related to humans.

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). The split from other apes would have taken place earlier, perhaps about 5 mya.

It is widely believed that the group of which they are part gave rise to the genus Homo, and hence to human beings.^[2]

The genus Australopithecus originally included two rather different forms. One form was lightweight: the gracile australopithecines. The other form was bulkier, the robust australopithecines.

It is still under discussion whether they should be put in separate genera. Here we treat the gracile forms; the robust forms are described elsewhere as Paranthropus.

Gracile australopithecines shared several traits with modern apes and humans. They were widespread throughout Eastern and Northern Africa 3.9 to 3 million years ago.

1. ↑ Latin australis = 'of the south', Greek pithekos = 'ape'
2. ↑ Leakey, Richard 1994. The origin of humankind. New York: BasicBooks. ISBN 0465031358