Australophithecus..

like 885 Posted By : Bhavya Arora, Class 10, GOODLEY PUBLIC SCHOOL

We all are aware of the preconcieved notion,"Monkeys are the earliest ancestor of man". But if I say that monkeys are not the earliest ancestor of man but we both share the same ancestor. Quite surprising.Isn't it??

And here is the proof!! In 1925,a skull was discoverd by a South African who thought it belonged to a baboon.The skull's led to a wide research and expedition to find out more about the fossils. As the skull did not match with any known animals, it was assumed to be that of an anthropoid ape-the ancestor of man. Raymond Dart an anatomy professor comfirmed that the skull was not that of a baboon and close examination revealed that the hole through which nerves of the spinal cord passed was situated at the base of skull as in humans and not at the back as in apes.This proved that the creature used to stand upright and not slouch.The skull was also high and rounded with teeth similar to human beings.

Finally, he identified the skull to be that of a young child and called it - 'Australopithecus Africanus' and hence the first ancestor of man was discovered. So, next time when somebody days that you resemble a monkey; correct him and tell what the complete truth is!