AustralopithecusandKenyanthropus

Australopithecines

“…Photograph courtesy of L.R. These latter comparisons will reveal the magnitude and direction of change associated with the origins of australopith features, and thus the type and strength of selection led to their appearance and diversification (Hammond and Ward, 2013). They clearly represent the sister group to Homo, as they share numerous traits, including committed terrestrial bipedal locomotion, thick tooth enamel, and reduced facial projection, compared with apes.…”

“…Certainly A. afarensis would have been a more capable climber than are humans, but without key morphologies such as a grasping big toe, their ability to move about easily in the trees, particularly for females holding infants, would have been severely compromised compared with apes (see Ward, 2002, 2013a,b andreferences therein). If A. afarensis was a less efficient bipedal walker than are humans, it would have been simply that they had shorter lower limbs, bulkier upper bodies, and a smaller body size, but not different limb or joint postures during walking or running (see also Hammond and Ward, 2013). It has also been argued that certain aspects of their anatomy that differ from those of humans, including widely splayed iliac blades, large navicular tuberosity in the foot, and long pedal phalanges, would have made bipedal walking less efficient than and kinematically distinct from that of humans.…”

“…Berger. range of dietary resources including tough or hard-to-chew foods when necessary, yet without having become encephalized to the extent seen in Homo (Hammond and Ward, 2013). Photograph courtesy of L.R.…”

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in savanna landscapes

“…For the early Pliocene hominin Ardipithecus ramidus , these reconstructed landscapes included a mosaic of vegetation types with forest, woodland, grassland, and floodplains 2,186–190 . For Australopithecus anamensis , reconstructed savannas included miombo woodlands and mosaic landscapes with woodland, grassland, and some forest 191–196 . Savanna landscapes for Au.…”