Until 1995, this species was the earliest known member of the Hominid family. Fragments of more than 300 individuals of Australopithicus afarensis have been discovered so far, including a remarkably complete skeleton of an adult female nicknamed Lucy.

( In 1995 there was another discovery in Ethiopia of a creature possibly ancestral to A. afarensis. The species name for this creature is ramidus, after an Ethiopian word meaning 'root'. Its teeth and other bones are even more chimp-like than Lucy's. Ramidus lived about 4-5 million years ago ).

Australopthicus africanus
The first discovery of an early hominid species in Africa was by Raymond Dart who found a well preserved skull of a juvenile in South Africa in 1924. His discovery led to an intense focus on Africa as the probable site of human origins. Dart named this newly discovered species Australopthicus africanus, or 'Southern Ape of Africa'.

Australopithicus robustus
were discovered in east and southern Africa. These creatures, which are now classified into several distinct species, represent a line of hominids which evolved along side early human species and perhaps interacted with them.