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| Australopithecus | |
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| Australopithecus africanus as it appeared in Walking with Beasts | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorrhini |
| Family: | Hominidae |
| Tribe: | Hominini |
| Subtribe: | †Australopithecina |
| Genus: | †Australopithecus R.A. Dart, 1925 |
| Type species | |
| †Australopithecus africanus R.A. Dart, 1925 | |
| Referred species | |
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Australopithecus is a genus of extinct great apes from the Pleistocene in Africa. They had enlarged skulls, a protruding forehead, had a social hierarchial authority, and was able to use tools. Its believed that this genus would give rise to the genera Homo, Kenyanthropus and Paranthropus, and are often referred to as the "missing link."
They fed on a wide variety of things, such as berries, fruits, and meat. Its omnivorous diet made it a successful eater, allowing it to feed when there was less food. Its thought that it shared its African environment with predators like Dinofelis, a probable predator, Pleistocene sloths, and the aggressive Deinotherium. It likely climbed trees most of the time to stay away from animals like Dinofelis and Deinotherium, but used its large vocal cords to scare off competitors like the sloths and vultures. It walked on two legs to have an advantage in spotting predators when on the ground, and could use primitive weapons, like rocks and sharp sticks to defend against Dinofelis or other predators, although it likely spent most of its time in the trees.
Species[]
- †A. africanus (R.A. Dart, 1925)
- †A. deyiremeda (Haile-Selassie et al., 2015)
- †A. garhi (Asfaw et al., 1997)
- †A. sediba (Berger et al., 2010)
- Also called Paranthropus
- †P. aethiopicus (Olson, 1985)
- †P. garhi (Asfaw et al., 1997)
- †P. robustus (Broom, 1938)
- Also called Praeanthropus
- †A. afarensis (Johanson & White, 1978)
- †A. anamensis (M.G. Leakey et al., 1995)
- †A. bahrelghazali (Brunet et al., 1995)
In Popular Culture[]
Walking with Beasts Australopithecus
- Australopithecus afarensis appeared in Walking with Beasts.
Gallery[]
