What are the gracile australopithecines?
The gracile australopithecines (members of the genus Australopithecus) (Latin australis “of the south”, Greek pithekos “ape”) are a group of extinct hominids that are closely related to humans.
Are humans robust or gracile?
The postcranial skeleton of modern Homo sapiens is relatively gracile compared with other hominoids and earlier hominins. This gracility predisposes contemporary humans to osteoporosis and increased fracture risk.
What are gracile features?
GRACILE stands for the condition’s characteristic features: growth retardation, aminoaciduria, cholestasis, iron overload, lactic acidosis, and early death.
What are robust australopithecines also called?
boisei are also referred to as “robust” australopiths. In addition to a well-developed skull crest for the attachment of the temporalis (or temporal muscle, which is used in chewing), other specializations for strong chewing include huge cheek teeth, massive jaws, and powerfully built cheekbones that project forward.
Is Australopithecus boisei gracile or robust?
Australopithecus afarensis and africanus, and the other species above, are known as gracile australopithecines, because of their relatively lighter build, especially in the skull and teeth. (Gracile means “slender”, and in paleoanthropology is used as an antonym to “robust”.)
What is the difference between Australopithecus and australopithecines?
The term australopithecine came from a former classification as members of a distinct subfamily, the Australopithecinae. Members of Australopithecus are sometimes referred to as the “gracile australopiths”, while Paranthropus are called the “robust australopiths”.
Are Australopithecus africanus gracile or robust?
Is Australopithecus boisei robust?
Robust australopithecines are characterised by heavily built skulls capable of producing high stresses and bite forces, and some of the largest molars with the thickest enamel of any known ape. P. boisei is the most robust of this group.
What is gracile and robust?
Gracile refers to any member of the species, belonging to the genus Australopithecus with relatively a lighter build, especially in the skull and teeth, but robust refers to the species of the genus Australopithecus, especially belonging to the contested genus, Paranthropus.
Is Australopithecus africanus gracile or robust?
Is Australopithecus afarensis gracile or robust?
How did robust australopithecines differ from earlier australopithecines?
How did robust australopithecines differ from earlier australopithecines? Robust australopithecines had smaller front teeth. How do humans differ from apes? Humans use spoken language.
What are the traits of Australopithecus?
As characterized by the fossil evidence, members of Australopithecus bore a combination of humanlike and apelike traits. They were similar to modern humans in that they were bipedal (that is, they walked on two legs), but, like apes, they had small brains.
What was the lifestyle of Australopithecus?
Australopithecus :lifestyle of Australopithecus. There are not many clues to these species lifestyle, but large molars suggest in their dental fossils that they lived as herbivores eating rough plants and vegetables. There are also some suggestions that they slept in the trees at night for safety and spent their time in the day in close proximity to African lakes and grasslands.
What did Australopithecus robustus eat?
Based on their strong and robust skulls, large mandibles, and thick enamel, some concluded that Au. afarensis ate hard and brittle foods. However, later studies found that while Au. afarensis could eat these foods, their diet actually consisted of softer foods, mainly grass, leaves, and fruits. Au. afarensis dentition.
What is the genus of Australopithecus?
Australopithecus, (Latin: “southern ape”) (genus Australopithecus), group of extinct primates closely related to, if not actually ancestors of, modern human beings and known from a series of fossils found at numerous sites in eastern, north-central, and southern Africa.