Australopithecus afarensis
- noun
- /ˌɔːstrəloʊˈpɪθɪkəs əˌfɑːrənˈsɪs/
- Specialized
:
australopiteco afarensis
- The discovery of Australopithecus afarensis fossils in Ethiopia has provided valuable insights into human evolution.
Examples
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What is clear, actually, is that the evolutionists have found additional anatomical evidence that Australopithecus afarensis was just an ape.
Blog text (15) -
In the mid-seventies, Don Johanson and Tim White announced the discovery of Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy), two million years older than the Taung skull.
Academic text (1995) -
Thus, a period of adaptation to a semi-aquatic habitat by the ancestors of Australopithecus afarensis is a perfectly tenable hypothesis.
Academic text (1995) -
Australopithecus afarensis, known for its small brain and bipedal locomotion, lived approximately 3.5 million years ago.
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Scientists believe that Australopithecus afarensis was one of the earliest ancestors of modern humans.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Australopithecus + afarensis
This is a Linnaean binomial: if a learner knows 'Australopithecus' as an extinct hominin genus they can infer the phrase names a particular species (i.e., an extinct early human ancestor), so the core referential meaning is derivable. However, the species epithet 'afarensis' is a Latinized place-based name that carries little independent lexical meaning for a B1 learner, making the composition only partially transparent.
Etymology
Australopithecus afarensis comes from old Latin and Greek words: Australopithecus means 'southern ape' and afarensis means 'from Afar', the part of Ethiopia where its fossils like the famous Lucy were found. So the name points to an extinct, early human-like species found in that place.
