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Define the following terms; 1. Australopithecus 2. Hominid 3. Homos
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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. The various species of Australopithecus lived 4.4 million to 1.4 million years ago (mya), during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (which lasted from 5.3 million to 11,700 years ago). The genus name, meaning “southern ape,” refers to the first fossils found, which were discovered in South Africa. Perhaps the most famous specimen of Australopithecus is “Lucy,” a remarkably preserved fossilized skeleton from Ethiopia that has been dated to 3.2 mya.
A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae. These are the "great apes", living and extinct. At present there are humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
The word "hominid" has been used in various ways. The classification of the great apes has been revised several times in the last few decades. These revisions led to different uses of the word "hominid". The original meaning of the taxon Hominidae meant only humans and their closest relatives. Now this group is called the Hominina.
A move from rainforest to savannah and woodland led first to bipedalism (walking on two feet). Later, hunting and social needs led to larger brains brains and the making and use of tools. These differences between human beings and the other great apes are certainly important. However, a genetically based taxonomic classification shows the genetic differences are not enough to divide us into separate families. Genetics, rather than morphology, is generally more widely accepted as the critical standard. However, many scientists, including anthropologists, use the term "hominid" to mean humans and their direct and near-direct ancestors.
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