Is that australopithicus, or homo?
2007-02-06 04:04:13 · 5 answers · asked by lirael1019 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
It is definitely Australopithicus
species name is Australopithicus afarensis
2007-02-09 16:01:23 · answer #1 · answered by kz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Australopithecus is the first definitive genus for hominids. Homo came later. Australopithecines are generally divided into gracile (afarensis and africanus) and robust (robustus and boisii), though some people consider the robust forms to be a separate genus, Paranthropus.
There are some genuses that have been assigned to even earlier hominids; however, they are not very well established (e.g., Sahelanthropus Tchadensis), and therefore I wouldn't list any of them as the "first" yet.
2007-02-06 17:21:40 · answer #2 · answered by stormsinger1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm pretty sure it'd be Australopithicus. Several species known from fossils are considered hominids prior to the evolution of the genus Homo.
According to Wikipedia, the family of hominids now includes the great apes, so there would properly be other ancestral species that would fall into that group BEFORE Australopithicus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hominidae
2007-02-06 12:12:46 · answer #3 · answered by hcbiochem 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Homo.
2007-02-06 12:06:58 · answer #4 · answered by Green-Eyed Gal 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's Australopithicus.
2007-02-06 12:09:12 · answer #5 · answered by Flutterburger 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋