Australopithecus afarensis

Australopithecus afarensis was an extinct bipedal hominin from East Africa that lived roughly 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago. Its fossils include Lucy and the Laetoli footprints.

Lucy (Australopithecus): A partial Australopithecus afarensis skeleton discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. This famous adult fossil preserves much of the species’ pelvis and limbs.
Bipedalism: Locomotion using two legs as the primary means of movement. Australopithecus afarensis walked upright, as shown by its anatomy and footprints.
Hominini: The taxonomic tribe containing humans and extinct species more closely related to humans than to chimpanzees. Australopithecus afarensis is an early member of the human evolutionary lineage.
Australopithecus africanus: An extinct australopith species known from South African fossils, dating roughly 3.3 to 2.1 million years ago. Its fossils come from southern Africa and are generally younger than the earliest afarensis remains.
Laetoli footprints: A trail of hominin footprints preserved in volcanic ash at Laetoli, Tanzania. The tracks provide direct evidence of bipedal walking by Australopithecus afarensis.
Pelvis: The bony structure connecting the spine to the lower limbs. Its shape in this species supports habitual upright walking.
Australopithecus: An extinct genus of African hominins that lived before and alongside early members of Homo. This species is one of the genus’s best-known representatives.
Australopithecus anamensis: An early australopith species from East Africa, dating roughly 4.2 to 3.8 million years ago. It precedes Australopithecus afarensis and may lie near the beginning of its lineage.
AL 333: A large collection of Australopithecus afarensis fossils from Hadar, Ethiopia. These fossils include multiple individuals and broaden the species’ anatomical record.
Foot: The distal structure of the leg used for support, balance, and locomotion. The Laetoli tracks preserve the species’ footfalls during bipedal walking.

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