A 2 million-year-old ancestor of man had a mixture of ape and human-like features that allowed it to hike vast distances on two legs with as much ease as it could scurry up trees, according to published research.
“It is the perfect compromise of something that has the need to walk on the ground efficiently for long distances. At the same time, it is a very capable climber,” said Lee Berger, project leader at the Wits Evolutionary Studies Institute in South Africa. … “We have more complete specimens of fossils than for any other early hominin species that has ever been discovered. What this means is that we can make assessments of the anatomy and behavior of this species with a great deal of confidence.”[6]
Australopithecus sediba is an extinct species of australopithecine discovered in Malapa Cave, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa[3].
The species was about 1.3 meters (4 feet tall). It is known from a partial juvenile skeleton (MH1) and a partial adult female skeleton (MH2), dating to about 1.98 million years ago in the Early Pleistocene[3]. Some key features of Australopithecus sediba include:
– Skeletal structure: A. sediba had a body similar to other australopithecines, with long upper limbs and a small cranial capacity[1]. Its pelvis and dentition were more derived than those of A. anamensis and A. afarensis, while its skull, facial, and dental features closely resembled those of A. africanus[1].
– Relationships with other species: Due to its age and overall skeletal features, A. sediba is believed to have descended from A. africanus and shares derived features with early Homo, more so than any other australopithecine species[2]. This suggests that it might be ancestral to Homo or a sister group to a Homo ancestor[2].
– Lifestyle and culture: There is no evidence of tool use or any other cultural elements for A. sediba[2]. It is likely that this species lived in a manner similar to A. africanus and was adapted to a similar ecological niche[2]. It probably used simple tools such as sticks found in the immediate surroundings and scavenged[2].
– Habitat: The habitat of A. sediba is thought to have been a mosaic environment of wood- and grasslands[5]. Phytoliths from their tooth enamel indicate that they had access to various types of plants[5].
Many questions about Australopithecus sediba remain unanswered, such as the time range and geographic range of the species, and whether the close relationship between A. sediba and Homo will be confirmed by future finds[1].
Citations:
[1] https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/australopithecus-sediba
[2] https://australian.museum/learn/science/human-evolution/australopithecus-sediba/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australopithecus_sediba
[4] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Australopithecus-sediba
[5] https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/the-history-of-our-tribe-hominini/chapter/australopithecus-sediba/
[6] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-fossils/two-million-year-old-creature-had-mix-of-ape-human-traits-idUSBRE93B0XG20130412