Compare the features of Ardi with those of Lucy.
What will be an ideal response?
Two species of ardipithecines have been uncovered, Ardipithecus kadabba and A. ramidus. In 2009, scientists announced that they had reconstructed these fossils to form a female fossil called Ardi. Ardi could walk erect, but spent a lot of time in trees. Her skeletal features assisted in walking erect by placing the trunk's center of gravity squarely over the feet. Ardi's pelvis and hip joints are broad enough to keep her from swaying from side to side (as chimps do) while walking. The knee joint in both humans and Ardi is modified to support the body's weight, because the bones broaden at this joint. could walk erect, but she spent a lot of time in trees.
The most significant fossil from East Africa is from a species of australopiths called Australopithecus afarensis. The female specimen of this species, known as Lucy, had a low forehead and a face that projected forward, with large canine teeth. The body of Lucy was broader than that of an ardipithecine. Although the brain size was small (around 400 cc), Lucy's skeleton indicates that she was a biped that stood upright. She stooped a bit like a chimpanzee, and the arms were somewhat proportionally longer than the legs. This suggests brachiation as a possible mode of locomotion in trees. Otherwise, the skeleton was humanlike, even though the pelvis lacked refinements that would have allowed Lucy to walk with a striding gait in a manner similar to modern humans.
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