Question

How many years ago and where did Australopithecus existed? Give its four important features.

Answer 1

Australopithecus:

The Australopithecus was the earliest direct ancestor of humans with a human-like form.

Existence:

1. They lived in Africa about $3.8$ million years ago.
2. Raymond Dart discovered the first Australopithecus fossil $3.8$ million years ago in Ethiopia, and it dates back to that time.

Features:

1. They had primitive features of hominids with a cranial capacity of just $350$ to $450cc$.
2. They were short, about $4$ to $5$ feet tall and only weighed around $35$ to $40kg$.
3. Their facial features resembled more of the apes with protruding jaws and sloping face.
4. Their arms were long and supported them to climb trees.
5. They were bipedal and could stand and walk upright on their legs.