Southern Ape of Afar
Australopithecus afarensis
🚶🏻♀️➡️
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Simiiformes
Hominidae
Australopithecus
Australopithecus afarensis
When the first fossils of this group were discovered in South Africa in the 1920s, paleontologist Raymond Dart named Australopithecus africanus to mark it as the “southern ape from Africa.” Later finds in East Africa, like Australopithecus afarensis (“the ape from Afar,” referring to the Afar region of Ethiopia), kept the genus name for continuity.
The Transitional Walker: Australopithecus afarensis and the Rise of Bipedalism — Australopithecus afarensis bridges the evolutionary gap between tree-dwelling apes and fully terrestrial humans, walking upright while still comfortable in the trees.
Description
Australopithecus afarensis lived in East Africa between 3.9 and 2.9 million years ago and is one of the best-known early human species, thanks to the famous partial skeleton “Lucy” discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Members of this species stood about 1 to 1.2 meters tall and had both ape-like and human-like traits—long arms and curved fingers for climbing, but pelvises, leg bones, and footprints (like those at Laetoli, Tanzania) that show habitual bipedalism. Their brains averaged about 400–500 cubic centimeters, roughly one-third the size of modern humans, but their social behavior and tool-free adaptability mark a key evolutionary step toward humanity.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
45
1
1.2
1.2
kg
m
m
m
Omnivore - Frugivore and some meat
Hunt History
Australopithecus afarensis was likely more gatherer than hunter, consuming fruits, nuts, tubers, and occasional small animals or scavenged meat. Their role in early human subsistence was shaped by environmental adaptation rather than direct hunting. However, evidence of cut-marked bones from nearby later strata suggests they may have opportunistically used sharp stones to scrape meat—an early hint of tool use and cognitive expansion.
Archaeological Context:
Hadar, Ethiopia (~3.2 million years ago): Discovery of “Lucy” (AL 288-1), the most complete A. afarensis skeleton.
Laetoli, Tanzania (~3.6 million years ago): Fossilized footprints showing clear bipedal walking.
Dikika, Ethiopia (~3.3 million years ago): Child skeleton “Selam,” showing a mix of climbing and walking adaptations.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
3000000
BP
3.9 - 2.9 million years ago
Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania)
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Fat %
Est. Renderable Fat
kg
Targeted Organs
Adipose Depots
Preferred Cuts
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)