Table 1 Australopith species
Species | Key sites | Temporal range (million years) | Other key facts |
|---|---|---|---|
Australopithecus anamensis | Kanapoi, Kenya | 4.1–3.9 | The first known hominin species to exhibit enlarged molar and premolar teeth (postcanine megadontia) |
Allia Bay, Kenya | Evidence from the knee joint indicates bipedal locomotion | ||
Australopithecus afarensis | Hadar, Ethiopia | 3.9 (or 3.7)–3.0 | Called Praeanthropus afarensis by some workers |
Maka, Ethiopia | One of the best known fossil hominin species. The species to which the partial skeleton nicknamed “Lucy” belongs | ||
Laetoli, Tanzania | Associated with fossilized footprints from Laetoli indicating bipedalism | ||
Australopithecus bahrelghazali | Koro Toro, Chad | ∼3.6 | Poorly-known species represented by only fragmentary specimens. Attributed by some workers to A. afarensis. One of only two hominin species known from north central Africa |
Kenyanthropus platyops | West Turkana, Kenya | 3.5∼3.3 | Poorly-known species best represented by a damaged cranium that preserves small molar teeth and facial morphology resembling that of some specimens of the genus Homo |
Australopithecus africanus | Taung, South Africa Sterkfontein, South Africa Makapansgat, South Africa | ∼3.0–2.1 | The first australopith species to be discovered and one of the best known of all such species |
Paranthropus aethiopicus | West Turkana, Kenya | 2.7–2.3 | The earliest known robust australopith |
Omo Shungura, Ethiopia | Possesses some but not all of the derived craniofacial traits characteristic of the other robust species | ||
Australopithecus garhi | Bouri, Ethiopia | ∼2.5 | Possesses huge molar and premolar teeth but lacks the derived craniofacial morphology characteristic of the robust australopiths. Known from only a single specimen, a partial cranium |
Paranthropus boisei | Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania | 2.3–1.4 | The first australopith discovered in eastern Africa |
Koobi Fora, Kenya Konso, EthiopiaOmo Shungura, Ethiopia | A robust australopith originally attributed to the genus Zinjanthropus but now commonly attributed to the genus Paranthropus | ||
Peninj, Tanzania | Well known from jaws, crania, and teeth, but poorly known from postcrania | ||
Australopithecus sediba | Malapa, South Africa | 1.95–1.78 | Newly discovered species preserving an intriguing mix of australopith-like and Homo-like traits |
Paranthropus robustus | Drimolen, South Africa Kromdraai, South Africa Swartkrans, South Africa | ∼1.8–1.5 | The only robust australopith known from southern Africa. Well known from jaws, teeth, and crania but, although postcranial remains are known from the same sites, these are not firmly attributed to the species |