10 Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus

Post On: March 21, 2017
By: Agustina

The following Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus explain the skeleton of a female hominin species. It is called Australopithecus afarensis. The common name of AL 288-1 is Lucy.  The discovery of Lucy contains hundreds of bone fossils, which make up 40 percent of her skeletal body.  It is called Dinkinesh in Ethiopia according to the Amharic language. The meaning is “you are marvelous”. Let us find out other unique facts about Lucy below:

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 1: the discovery of Lucy

The discovery of Lucy took place in 1974 in African continent. The exact location was in the Awash Valley of Afar Triangle in Ethiopia. It was nearby Hadar village.

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 2: who discovered it?

Donald Johanson took the credit for discovering the bone skeleton of Lucy. He was a paleoanthropologist from Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 3: the date

The origin of Lucy as a fossil can be traced back around 3.2 million years ago. It is included as an early type of australopithecine.



Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 4: the characteristics of skeleton

Lucy has a small skull.  The skeleton represents the upright and bipedal walking gait, which is similar with the one of human being. The study of Lucy finds out that the increased size of brain followed the bipedalism.

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Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 5: the fossil name

The skeleton’s name was inspired from The Beatles’ song with the title “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. The song was played repeatedly during the first day of recovery work of the fossils in the expedition camp.

Lucy the Australopithecus Facts

Lucy the Australopithecus Facts

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 6: the public

The discovery of Lucy caught the extensive public attention. People were interested to know more about this early hominin.

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Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 7: a book

Johanson published a book, which talked about the reconstruction and discovery of Lucy.

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 8: Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia

Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia was the title of the Lucy’s exhibition started in 2007 in United States. The public exhibition of Lucy along with the artifacts lasted for six years.

Lucy the Australopithecus Replica

Lucy the Australopithecus Replica

Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 9: the original fossil

In 2013, the original fossil of Lucy was sent back to Ethiopia due to the concern about the damage of the assembly if it was toured from one place to another place.

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Facts about Lucy the Australopithecus 10: the casts of Lucy

The museums prefer to use the cast assembly to exhibit Lucy.

Are you impressed after reading facts about Lucy the Australopithecus?


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