Australopithecus africanus
'Australopithecus africanus' is a species of early hominin. Fossils of A. africanus have only been found in South Africa.
Origin
The holotype of A. africanus was discovered in 1924 at the Buxton limeworks near Taung, South Africa [1]. The holotype is a child's skull and mandible known as the Taung Child. The skull was described by Raymond Dart in 1925.[2]. It is the only hominin fossil discovered at that site[1]. Further discoveries of A. africanus were made at Sterkfontein by Robert Broom and Makapansgat by teams led by Raymond Dart.
Description
A. africanus has a predicted body weight approximating that of chimpanzees with females estimated to have weighed around 25 to 35 kilograms and males around 40 - 50 kg although estimates vary. It is suggested that unlike other early hominin species which have relatively human-like body proportions, A. africanus has relatively long arms and short legs. The cranial capacity of A. africanus ranges between approximatly 380 and 550 cc's. the face of A. africanus is prognathic and the species has relatively large dentition. like other early hominin species, its canines are however small relative to its posterior teeth.
Discovery localities
- Taung, South Africa 1924
- Sterkfontein, South Africa 1936
- Coopers, South Africa 1938 (possible wrongly attributed)
- Makapansgat, South Africa 1946
- Gladysvale, South Africa 1991
Collections
All fossils of A. africanus are held either at the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria or the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. The fossils held at the Transvaal Museum are fron Sterkfontein and represent the early collections of Broom. The University of the Witwatersrand holds all other specimens.
There are approximatly 700 individual fossil specimens attributed to this species.