Australopithecus

[ aw-strey-loh-pith-i-kuhs, -puh-thee-kuhs, aw-struh-loh- ]

noun

1. an extinct genus of small-brained, large-toothed bipedal hominins that lived in Africa between one and four million years ago: the genus Homo, to which modern humans belong, is believed to have evolved from this genus or to have shared a common ancestor.

Australopithecus

1. An extinct genus of the hominid family that lived in Africa from about three to one million years ago. The name means “southern ape.”

Notes

Members of this genus were the ancestors of modern humans. One of the best-known fossils, Lucy , was a member of this genus.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Australopithecus¹

First recorded in 1920–25; from New Latin: literally “southern ape,” equivalent to austrāl(is) “southern” + -o- connecting vowel + pithēcus “ape,” from Greek píthēkos. See austral ¹, -o-,

Example Sentences

Between 2 million and 3 million years ago, many kinds of hominins walked the same African landscapes as Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis.

From Science Magazine

"Later, the human lineage diverged from the great apes with the acquisition of bipedalism, as seen in Australopithecus, an early human relative from Africa."

From Science Daily

When David Schwimmer's Ross, who worked as a palaeontologist, says: "No, Homo habilis was erect. Australopithecus was never fully erect," Chandler responds: "Well, maybe he was nervous."

From BBC

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

He named the prehuman species Australopithecus africanus — the southern ape of Africa.

From New York Times