Chapter 17, Problem 14STP

Summary Introduction

To assess:

The significance of the discovery of Lucy fossil.

Introduction:

An anthropologist Donald Johanson discovered an australopithecine skeleton named Lucy in Kenya in1974. The first hominins that were truly bipedal were the australopithecines. They were small and had apelike brains and jaws but the teeth and limb joints were humanlike.

Answer to Problem 14STP

The discovery of fossil of Lucy is very significant as it was the first complete australopithecine fossil to be discovered. The structure of her skeleton suggested that A.afarensis had small brains and were bipedal. Her skeleton has provided evidence for hominid bipedalism.

Explanation of Solution

Lucy is one of the complete australopithecine fossils ever found. She was a member of species A.afarensis which lived between 4 and 2.9 mya. Lucy was about the size of a chimpanzee and had a typical australopithecine skull and small brain. Her arms were long in proportion to her legs. Her curved finger bones indicated that she was capable of arboreal activity. Her hip and knee joints were humanlike and it was clear that she walked upright. Later fossilized footprints of her relatives were discovered which indicated that they were bipedal.