Australopithecus africanus

American  

[aw-strey-loh-pith-i-kuhs af-ri-kah-nuhs, -kan-uhs, -puh-thee-kuhs, aw-struh-loh-] / ɔˌstreɪ loʊˈpɪθ ɪ kəs ˌæf rɪˈkɑ nəs, -ˈkæn əs, -pəˈθi kəs, ˌɔ strə loʊ- /

noun

1. an extinct species of gracile hominin, formerly known as Plesianthropus transvaalensis, that lived in southern Africa about 2–3.3 million years ago.

2. a fossil belonging to this species.

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Etymology

Origin of Australopithecus africanus

First recorded in 1920–25; from New Latin Australopithecus ( def. ) + Latin āfricānus “African.” See African

Example Sentences

Other researchers argued it belonged to Australopithecus africanus, a species first described in 1925 by Australian anatomist Raymond Dart and already known from the same region.

From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2026

In the 1950s, Australian-born South African paleoanthropologist Raymond Dart, who famously discovered our ancestor Australopithecus africanus, suggested that our ancestors were using bones as weapons to not only kill animals but also their own kind.

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2023

For years scientists believed the Australopithecus africanus species, whose fossils were discovered in the Sterkfontein caves near Johannesburg, had been less than 2.6 million years old.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2022

Based on earlier data, many paleoanthropologists thought Little Foot was a member of Australopithecus africanus, a well-established lineage of upright walkers that lived between 3.3 million and 2.1 million years ago.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 11, 2018

Those protohumans are generally known as Australopithecus africanus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, which apparently evolved into each other in that sequence.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond