Afarensis

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A species of hominin that lived in East Africa approximately 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago, notable for the discovery of the famous "Lucy" fossil
2. An early ancestor of modern humans recognized for its bipedal locomotion and key fossil evidence shedding light on human evolution
3. A significant member of the hominin lineage that showcases adaptive traits for both walking upright and tree-climbing behaviors in its anatomical structure

Etymology: Australopithecus afarensis takes its name from the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia, the desert depression where the fossils were found. The species name "afarensis" means "from Afar," a geographic label rather than a description of the animal, which is typical of the Latinized names given to fossil species. The genus name "Australopithecus" comes from Latin "australis" ("southern") and Greek "pithekos" ("ape"), coined in 1925 by Raymond Dart for the Taung Child, a specimen from South Africa, so the two halves of the name come from different continents and different discoveries. The best-known specimen, "Lucy," was discovered in 1974 by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray at Hadar in the Afar region and dated to about 3.2 million years ago. The fossils were described as a new species in 1978, and the name was chosen to tie the find to its place of origin. Lucy's skeleton, with its pelvis and leg bones suited to upright walking alongside long curved fingers and arms, is the reason the species is studied for both bipedalism and climbing.

Synonyms: Australopithecus afarensis