Australopithecus afarenesis emerged in
Miocene
Australopithecus afarensis has been known to be a long-lived early "ape man" found in South Africa. It is documented to have originated in the final epoch of the Tertiary period - the Miocene epoch. The Miocene epoch existed about 22 - 5 mya, and witnessed the evolution and emergence of man-like apes. The end of the Tertiary period marks the onset of the Quaternary period. This period is divided into two epochs - Pliocene and Holocene. The Pliocene epoch saw many important events in the evolutionary history of the world. It witnessed the emergence of herbs and emergence of the genus Homo. The Holocene epoch is the one that continues even today. This epoch is characterised by supremacy of man and the evolution of monocots along with dominance of herbs.