In 2009 scientists found foot bones at the Woranso-Mille site in the Afar Rift in Ethiopia. The fossils are about 3.4 million years old. Researchers now say the bones belong to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a species that lived at the same time as Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis).
The foot, called the Burtele Foot, includes eight bones. At first researchers hesitated to name a species from these parts, but after later finds they linked the foot to A. deyiremeda. Scientists also studied teeth to learn about diet.
Tooth isotope results show A. deyiremeda ate foods from trees and shrubs. By contrast, Lucy’s species ate a wider range that included grasses and sedges. The foot shape shows a grasping big toe and long toes for climbing.
Difficult words
- fossil — remains of very old plants or animalsfossils
- species — group of similar living organisms
- isotope — one form of an element with different atoms
- diet — types of food an animal eats
- grasp — to take and hold something with the handgrasping
- sedge — a grass-like plant that grows in wetlandssedges
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Discussion questions
- Why do you think scientists studied teeth as well as bones?
- Would a grasping big toe help an animal climb trees? Why or why not?
- Do you think it is important to name a species from only a few bones? Explain briefly.
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