Australopithecus africanus (extinct species)
Esquema
Jerarquía
Eukaryota (domain) > Animalia (kingdom) > Chordata (phylum) > Vertebrata (subphylum) > Mammalia (class) > Primates (order) > Hominoidea (superfamily) > Hominidae (family) > Australopithecus (extinct genus)
Descripción
Species of extinct bipedal homonin whose remains were found in the Transvaal region of South Africa; it lived 3.3 to 2.5 million years ago. Characterized by arms slightly longer than the legs, human-like cranial features combined with more primitive features including ape-like curved fingers for tree climbing. This species was the first of the australopiths to be described; Raymond Dart named the genus and species in 1925 after his discovery of the famous Taung child.