The earliest known member of the genus, A. anamensis, existed in eastern Africa 4.2 million years ago. Australopithecus fossils were found in eastern and southern Africa before the genus went extinct 1.9 mya, suggesting that it was much more widespread than previously thought (the Chadian A. bahrelghazali implies the genus becomedrasticallyextraconsiderable than the fossil report indicated) (or 1.2 to 0.6 million years in the past if Paranthropus is included). Sometime between three and two million years ago, the genus Homo descended from a species of Australopithecus, despite the fact that none of the groups traditionally associated with this classification system have persisted to the present day.
Two of the three copies of SRGAP2 discovered in Australopithecus between 3.4 and 2.4 million years ago (SRGAP2B and SRGAP2C) played a role in the expansion and migration of neurons in the human brain. Evidence from later A. afarensis fossils suggests big changes in hand size occurred around 3 million years ago (hands shortened relative to thumb and adjustments to the joints among the index finger and the trapezium and capitate).
Anatomy
Brain size among Australopithecus species was typically 35 percent smaller than that of modern humans, with an average endocranial volume of 466 cc (28.four cu in). Earlier australopiths (A. anamensis) appear to have been in the chimpanzee range, whereas later australopith specimens have a larger endocranial amount than that of several early Homo fossils. Although that is larger than the typical 360 cc brain size of a chimpanzee (22 cu in).
A median height of 1.2 to 1.4 meters is characteristic of the vast majority of Australopithecus species (threetoeseleven in to fourtoes 7 in). They likely exhibited substantial sexual dimorphism, with males being far larger than females.
Evolutionary biologist Jeremy Griffith speculates that bonobos and Australopithecus may share some phenotypic traits because of claims made by A. Zihlman that Australopithecus frame proportions are very similar to the ones of bonobos (Pan paniscus).
The fossil record places Australopithecus before both Homo and modern humans. Previous theories suggested that larger brain sizes led to the development of bipedalism earlier in human history, but the discovery of Australopithecus, an ape with a relatively small brain, acquiring the ability to walk upright through natural selection provided evidence to the contrary.
Five, the Australopithecines' 32 teeth are on par with those of modern humans. Their canines are quite close together, and their molars are parallel, just like those of great apes (diastema). Their canine teeth were the size of modern human teeth, and their enamel was not as closely spaced as it is now.
Their food was primarily composed of insects, rodents, and other small animals, as well as plants like as leaves, fruits, nuts, roots, and seeds.
Source:
https://youtu.be/JtEkyk8vZ6E
https://youtu.be/BRZ8FsZ-hJQ
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australopithecus
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