Australopithecines

Question 1

why was ardi (pre aus) controversial

Answer 1

• Support bipedal, canines more in line with incisors
  
  • Ardopithecus ramidus - interesting bc seeing evolution in foot to closer together toes, but big toe + evidence = still forested environment

Question 2

features of pre vs aus?

Answer 2

teeth - pre modified honing 
aus - nonhoning 
bones - pre vestiges of ape like arboreal traits 
aus - loss of traits 
brain - pre - small 
aus - slight increase

Question 3

Australopithecus anamensis - where when who

Answer 3

• Kenya, ethiopia, africa
• Approx 4 mya
• The anam part of name - connected to “lake” bc a lot of fossils discovered near one
• Woodland
• M leakey and T white
• Skeletal material
○ Very fragmentary - makes it difficult

Question 4

• Australopithecus anamensis

anatomy

Answer 4

○ Bipedal
○ Based on tibia
○ Nonhoning canines

Question 5

lake turkana?

Answer 5

-world’s largest desert lake
-abundance of hominid fossils
found a. anamensis here

Question 6

• Australopithecus afrensis

where when who

Answer 6

• Tanzania, ethiopia, africa 
	• 3-3.6 mya 
	• Don Johnanson and others 
		○ American paleoanthropologist 
		○ Institute of human origins founded in 1981

Question 7

• Australopithecus afrensis

describe lucy

Answer 7

○ Adult female recovered by Don Johanson and team in 1974
○ 3.2 mya
○ Hadar, afaar region of ethiopia
○ 40% of skeleton
○ Forested environment (animal remains and pollen)
○ Large molars suggest diet of tough, fibrous food
○ Poatcranial skeleton indicates bipedalism
○ 3.5 feet tall
○ Ape-like face
○ Long arms
• Still trying to understand sexual dimorphism

Question 8

describe laetoli

Answer 8

• Foot prints
• Laetoli, tanzania
• 3.6 mya
Grasping toe, prominent heel, human-like arch - evidence of bipedalism

Question 9

• Australopithecus (kenyanthropus) platyops

- where when who

Answer 9

• Kenya africa (lake turkana)
• 3.5 mya
Woodland

Question 10

Australopithecus (kenyanthropus) platyops anatomy

Answer 10

• Flat face

Small molar teeth

Question 11

australopithecus garhi where when who

Answer 11

• Ethiopia africa
  
  • 2.5 mya - lots of hominids around - genus homo also around
  • Woodland
  • t.white

Question 12

• Australopithecus garhi

anatomy

Answer 12

• Large pre molars and molars
  
  • Long legs
  • Stone tools? Not super clear

Question 13

Oldowan stone tools - describe

Answer 13

• Oldowan stone tools
• Oldest site - 2.6 mya ethiopia
• Autralopithecus first stone tool makers- not homo?
• First discoverved in anzania
• Choppers - stone cores with flakes removed to keep a sharp edge
• Microscopic analysis - determined that the choppers and flakes were used for cutting plants and animals
•

Question 14

• The robust australopithecines (paranthropus)

- describe generally

Answer 14

• Not included in our evolutionary connection / phylogeny to humans
  
  • Robust - zygomatic bones flaring out - size and variation of molars
  • Different dietory source - something hard

Question 15

describe a. Aethiopicus

Answer 15

robust 
Aethiopicus - sagittal crust -muscle attachment - muscles used for chewing
large molars 
woodland n grassland 
2.5 mya
ethiopia and kenya

Question 16

describe australopithecus boisei

Answer 16

ethiopia, tanzania, kenya 
2.3-1.2 mya 
grass land 
sagittal crust and large molars 
robust

Question 17

• Australopithecus africanus - describe

Answer 17

• 3-2 mya
• Small canines; large premolars and molars
South africa
gracile

Question 18

• Australopithecus robustus

Answer 18

• Robust 
	• 2-1.5 mya 
Small canines, very large premolars and molars 
	• 
Ear ossicles - slight variation from us