afarensis are robust enough to chew hard foods, but dental microwear studies show Au. afarensis individuals not include the need to bear large canine teeth, as it does in many other male primates? afarensis individuals had canine teeth comparable in size to those of females. afarensis shows strong sexual dimorphism in that the body sizes between males and females are quite different however, sexual dimorphism in other primates is usually characterized by size differences in bodies and teeth. afarensis existed through a period of environmental fluctuation yet showed no adaptations to the changing environment-why? Was it because they were able to migrate to where their usual food sources were located? Or were their food sources somehow unaffected? afarensis usually walk upright like modern humans, or did they spend more time climbing trees like other living African apes? afarensis were capable of walking upright on two legs, but they would have walked differently than modern humans do today so, what did their bipedal locomotion look like? afarensis and dating to 3.5 million years ago has been found in Chad-did this species extend so far into central Africa? afarensis that may be answered with future discoveries : We don’t know everything about our early ancestors-but we keep learning more! Paleoanthropologists are constantly in the field, excavating new areas, using groundbreaking technology, and continually filling in some of the gaps about our understanding of human evolution.īelow are some of the still unanswered questions about Au. Their adaptations for living both in the trees and on the ground helped them survive for almost a million years as climate and environments changed. They also had small canine teeth like all other early humans, and a body that stood on two legs and regularly walked upright. afarensis had both ape and human characteristics: members of this species had apelike face proportions (a flat nose, a strongly projecting lower jaw) and braincase (with a small brain, usually less than 500 cubic centimeters - about 1/3 the size of a modern human brain), and long, strong arms with curved fingers adapted for climbing trees. afarensis had a shorter period of growing up than modern humans have today, leaving them less time for parental guidance and socialization during childhood.Īu. afarensis children grew rapidly after birth and reached adulthood earlier than modern humans. It is best known from the sites of Hadar, Ethiopia (‘Lucy’, AL 288-1 and the 'First Family', AL 333) Dikika, Ethiopia (Dikika ‘child’ skeleton) and Laetoli (fossils of this species plus the oldest documented bipedal footprint trails).
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