Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Southern and eastern Africa
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Australopithecus africanus is a small-bodied Australopithecus species documented in Pliocene deposits of southern and eastern Africa. Its securely identified remains come from Taung, Sterkfontein, and Makapansgat in southern Africa, while additional material from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Olduvai Gorge is assigned more cautiously. The species is represented by substantial cranial, dental, and axial-skeletal samples, especially at Sterkfontein. Its fossil accumulations often appear to have resulted from carnivore activity, and the extract reports no convincing direct association with culturally patterned artefacts at the principal southern African sites.
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Le récit
Australopithecus africanus occurs in deposits described as Pliocene in age across southern and eastern Africa. Its distribution is presented as sub-Saharan and, at the time of the account, confined to the Afro-Arabian continent. The strongest southern African evidence comes from the cave deposits of Sterkfontein and Makapansgat in the Transvaal and from Taung in the northern Cape Province, where the holotype was found.
The three principal southern African localities differ in the quantity and character of their evidence. Sterkfontein preserves remains from probably more than forty individuals, while Makapansgat represents approximately seven to twelve individuals and is more fragmentary. The Taung type specimen is a well-preserved juvenile with a complete deciduous dentition and erupting first permanent molars, making it especially useful for comparison with immature Sterkfontein material.
The fossil-bearing deposits at Sterkfontein and Makapansgat contain diverse vertebrate remains, with medium- to large-sized bovids particularly prominent. Their composition and body-part representation suggest that large carnivores were probably responsible for much of the accumulation. The extract stresses that the principal southern African sites do not provide convincingly sound evidence for the contemporaneous presence of another hominid species or for direct association with stone or other materials indicating culturally patterned behaviour.
Additional remains attributed to Australopithecus africanus come from the Omo succession in southern Ethiopia, the Rudolf basin in Kenya, and perhaps Olduvai Gorge. The Omo material consists mainly of fragmentary jaws, isolated or associated teeth, and a few postcranial elements from several members of the Shungura Formation. The proposed attribution of some Koobi Fora and Olduvai specimens is explicitly tentative because the relevant body parts are incompletely known or poorly represented in securely associated samples.
The Kanapoi distal humerus and Lothagam mandible fragment in northern Kenya remain uncertain in their affinities. The Lothagam fragment may represent Australopithecus and could be extremely ancient, but its specific identity is undetermined. A temporal bone from the Chemeron Formation is described as Australopithecus-like and most similar to A. africanus, yet it is only very tentatively referred to the species.
The species' known samples provide substantial evidence for craniofacial morphology, dental structure, size, proportions, and the axial skeleton and pelvis. They are less informative about the upper and lower limbs, limiting comparisons with other Plio-Pleistocene hominids. The Olduvai material once attributed to Homo habilis is reassigned tentatively because its small size, proportions, and non-Homo-like features appear more compatible with Australopithecus africanus than with a securely defined single Homo taxon.
Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
Southern and eastern Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Australopithecus africanus is a small-bodied Australopithecus species documented in Pliocene deposits of southern and eastern Africa. Its securely identified remains come from Taung, Sterkfontein, and Makapansgat in southern Africa, while additional material from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Olduvai Gorge is assigned more cautiously. The species is represented by substantial cranial, dental, and axial-skeletal samples, especially at Sterkfontein. Its fossil accumulations often appear to have resulted from carnivore activity, and the extract reports no convincing direct association with culturally patterned artefacts at the principal southern African sites.
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Le récit
Australopithecus africanus occurs in deposits described as Pliocene in age across southern and eastern Africa. Its distribution is presented as sub-Saharan and, at the time of the account, confined to the Afro-Arabian continent. The strongest southern African evidence comes from the cave deposits of Sterkfontein and Makapansgat in the Transvaal and from Taung in the northern Cape Province, where the holotype was found.
The three principal southern African localities differ in the quantity and character of their evidence. Sterkfontein preserves remains from probably more than forty individuals, while Makapansgat represents approximately seven to twelve individuals and is more fragmentary. The Taung type specimen is a well-preserved juvenile with a complete deciduous dentition and erupting first permanent molars, making it especially useful for comparison with immature Sterkfontein material.
The fossil-bearing deposits at Sterkfontein and Makapansgat contain diverse vertebrate remains, with medium- to large-sized bovids particularly prominent. Their composition and body-part representation suggest that large carnivores were probably responsible for much of the accumulation. The extract stresses that the principal southern African sites do not provide convincingly sound evidence for the contemporaneous presence of another hominid species or for direct association with stone or other materials indicating culturally patterned behaviour.
Additional remains attributed to Australopithecus africanus come from the Omo succession in southern Ethiopia, the Rudolf basin in Kenya, and perhaps Olduvai Gorge. The Omo material consists mainly of fragmentary jaws, isolated or associated teeth, and a few postcranial elements from several members of the Shungura Formation. The proposed attribution of some Koobi Fora and Olduvai specimens is explicitly tentative because the relevant body parts are incompletely known or poorly represented in securely associated samples.
The Kanapoi distal humerus and Lothagam mandible fragment in northern Kenya remain uncertain in their affinities. The Lothagam fragment may represent Australopithecus and could be extremely ancient, but its specific identity is undetermined. A temporal bone from the Chemeron Formation is described as Australopithecus-like and most similar to A. africanus, yet it is only very tentatively referred to the species.
The species' known samples provide substantial evidence for craniofacial morphology, dental structure, size, proportions, and the axial skeleton and pelvis. They are less informative about the upper and lower limbs, limiting comparisons with other Plio-Pleistocene hominids. The Olduvai material once attributed to Homo habilis is reassigned tentatively because its small size, proportions, and non-Homo-like features appear more compatible with Australopithecus africanus than with a securely defined single Homo taxon.
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