australopithecine

australopithecine — noun

1. a type of early human-like creature that lived in Africa between about four mill

1.名詞C2
釋義

a type of early human-like creature that lived in Africa between about four million and two million years ago, walked upright on two legs, and had a brain much smaller than that of modern humans

例句

Dr. Okafor found an australopithecine jawbone in a South African cave, helping scientists trace how early humans walked upright.

Fossil foot bones of an australopithecine show this early ancestor walked on two legs, much like modern humans do today.

walked on two legs

同義詞
  • australopith

    informal shorthand used by paleontologists, same meaning

  • early hominid

    broader group that includes australopithecines and later human ancestors

文法句型

australopithecine + verb (singular or plural depending on meaning)

用法筆記

Frequently appears in paleoanthropology and archaeological writing. When referring to the group as a whole, the plural form 'australopithecines' is common. Scientists often shorten the term to 'australopith' in informal writing.

常見錯誤

❌Australopithecines were a single species of early human.
✅Australopithecines were a group of related species of early humans.
💡The term covers multiple species across two genera (Australopithecus and Paranthropus), not just one.
❌The australopithecine walked like a chimpanzee.
✅The australopithecine walked upright on two legs, similar to modern humans.
💡Australopithecines were bipedal, not knuckle-walkers like chimpanzees.