Australopithecus-The Transitional Human Forms

By about two million years ago, there were several well established hominid ancestors in Africa. One of  the earliest of  these  is Australopithecus. Fossils of Australopithecus, which have been recovered  from South and East Africa, show that their brains were relatively small, the bones enclosing the brain, therefore, were rather ape like, but  the face was shorter than  in apes. The enamel of  the teeth indicated that Australopithecus ate essentially fruits. The evidence for two-footed  posture in Australopithecus is strong as the back bone shows the typical hominid curvature. Also the hip bone, which is the skeletal frame to which the legs are attached  is shorter than in apes, although it is not as short as in modem humans.