Editors
Kaye E. Reed. Richard E. Leakey. John G. Fleagle
2013
Australopithecus holds a special place in the study of human evolution. From the initialdescription of the genus by Dart in 1925 through the present, there has been ongoing
discussion and debate about whether this genus is best viewed as an ape with some
human features or an old, somewhat primitive version of modern humans. How much
like modern humans was Australopithecus in its locomotion, its social behavior, and its
life history? As the hominid fossil record has expanded, indeed exploded, over the nearly
nine decades since Australopithecus was first described, it has become the most speciose
genus of human ancestors with no consensus regarding how many species should
actually be recognized.