Australopithecus

Australopithecus • The First Species of Man Discovered • This project was made and presented by Giselle, Janeth, Kyle, Taylor C.

Introduction • Hi, class! Today we will be learning about the Australopithecus and we will be having some questions at the end, so please pay attention to the slide show.

Physical Appearance • Australopithecus ranged in size from about 47”-67” (120cm-170cm) tall. They were the smallest species of early humans (except the newly-discovered Ardipithecus) being almost like the size of an upright chimpanzee. Males averagely weighed about 92 pounds and females averagely weighed about 64 pounds. (1)

Shelter • Australopithecus slept in trees for two reasons: to get sleep and to get at least a little bit of shelter from mother nature and to get away and be protected from predators. (2)

What They Ate • Australopithecines hunted animals and bugs. Scientists believe that they also ate bird eggs and plants, such as fruit and vegetables. (3)

Daily Life • The lifestyle of the Australopithecus is much different from our life today. The Australopithecus did not have a vegetarian diet, so they would hunt for their food, although they did also eat plants. The Australopithecus also had to be careful of predators, such as saber tooth tigers that might attack them. (4)

Tools • Australopithecines didn’t use any tools. Up to this day, scientists haven’t found any evidence that they did. (5)

Fire • Some people thought Australopithecus created fire, but they didn’t. The Australopithecines were not so smart because they had super small brains. (6)

Australopithecus [Lucy] • Lucy was an Australopithecus who died, and her bones survived over 3-4 million years under the rock, gravel, and dirt in Africa. She even survived destruction from the animals that tried to dig her up. Her skeleton was evidence that Australopithecines had lived. (7)

Language • Australopithecus didn’t speak any oral languages. They grunted and gestured a lot of the time. Australopithecus also didn't write any written language either. (8) ,, , , , ,

Their PaINTINGS • Australopithecus didn’t paint in caves because they didn’t have time . If they had the time to paint, they would not have had to worry so much about food shelters and animals. (9)

Facts about the Australopithecus • The Australopithecus had the smallest brains of the early humans. Their brain size were 375-550 cubic cm. (10)

Questions # 1 What did the Australopithecus use for tools ? #2 Did the Australopithecus have the smallest or the largest brains? #3 Were the Australopithecus the first fossilized humans on earth (before the finding of Ardipithecus)? #4 How did the Australopithecus live and work? #5 Where did Australopithecus live?

Answers #1 They didn’t really have tools, but did use rocks and sticks as tools. #2 They had the smallest brains. #3 Yes, they were. #4 The Australopithecus lived in trees and worked very hard. #5 They lived in Africa.

Conclusion • Thank you for watching the slide show and paying attention. We hope that you guys learned a lot about the Australopithecus and hope you guys enjoyed this slide show. Thanks.

Endnotes • “Australopithecus,” http://www.anthro4n6.net/lucy, p. 7. • Kearns, Marsha, “Australopithecus,” Early Humans, p. 1. • Ibid. • California Vistas Ancient Civilizations, Macmillan McGraw-Hill, NY, 2007, p. 73. • Ibid, p 72. • “Australopithecus,” Australopithecus, http://www.earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/. • “Australopithecus,” http://www.anthro4n6.net/lucy, pp. 1-2. • “Australopithecus,” Australopithecus, http://www.earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/. • Ibid. • California Vistas Ancient Civilizations, Macmillan McGraw-Hill, NY, 2007, p. 73.

Bibliography “Australopithecus.” http://www.anthro4n6.net/lucy. Australopithecus.” Australopithecus. http://www.earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/. California Visits Ancient Civilizations. Macmillan/McGraw Hill: New York, NY, 2007. Kearns, Marsha.“Homo Habilis.” Early Humans. Creative Teaching Press: CA, 1993. Graded by Ms.Mclure

Australopithecus