Australopithecus afarensis: razlika između inačica

Računalna [[kinematika|kinematička]] simulacija funkcionalnih karakteristika kostura dokazuju da je ''A. afarensis'' bio sposoban za dvonožno hodanje na isti način kako to čine moderni ljudi, u uspravnom položaju ili sa savijenim kukovima i koljenima, ali nije mogao hodati dvonožnim hodom modernih [[čimpanza|čimpanzi]]. Uspravni položaj prilikom dvonožnog hodanja bio je puno učinkovitiji od hodanja u položaju s povijenim kukovima i koljenima, trošeći dvostruko manje energije.<ref name=bbc>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/human/human_evolution/mother_of_man1.shtml |title=BBC – Science & Nature – The evolution of man |accessdate=2007-11-01 |work=Mother of man – 3.2 million years ago | archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20071012164551/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/human/human_evolution/mother_of_man1.shtml| archivedate= 12. rujna 2007. <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liv.ac.uk/premog/premog-research.htm#backevidence |title=PREMOG – Research |accessdate=1. studenog 2007. |date= 18. svibnja 2007. |work=How Lucy walked |publisher=Primate Evolution & Morphology Group (PREMOG), the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, the School of Biomedical Sciences at the [[University of Liverpool]] |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071025040650/http://www.liv.ac.uk/premog/premog-research.htm#backevidence <!--DASHBot--> |archivedate =25. rujna 2007.}}</ref>

 

''A. afarensis'' je vjerojatno bio učinkovit u dvonožnom kretanju na kratke udaljenosti, a razmak tragova stopala u [[Laetoli]]ju ukazuje na brzinu kretanja od 1 [[m/s]] ili bržu, što je slično srednjoj brzini hodanja modernog čovjeka.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liv.ac.uk/premog/premog-sup-info-Laetoli.htm |title=PREMOG – Supplementry Info |accessdate=1. studenog 2007. |date= 18. svibnja 2007. |work=The Laetoli Footprint Trail: 3D reconstruction from texture; archiving, and reverse engineering of early hominin gait |publisher=Primate Evolution & Morphology Group (PREMOG), the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, the School of Biomedical Sciences at the [[University of Liverpool]] |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070717190906/http://www.liv.ac.uk/premog/premog-sup-info-Laetoli.htm <!--DASHBot--> |archivedate =17. srpnja 2007.}}</ref> Ovaj se podatak dovodi u pitanje, jer pronalazak fosila ''Australopithecusovog'' stopala podiže sumnju da tragove iz Laetolija nije ostavio ''Australopithecus''.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=[[Scientific American]] | url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=footprints-to-fill | title=Footprints to fill: Flat feet and doubts about the makers of the Laetoli tracks | date=1. kolovoza 2005. | first=Kate | last=Wong | accessdate=2010-12-05 }}</ref> Mnogi znanstvenici također sumnjaju u samu sposobnost ove vrste za dvonožno hodanje, te objašnjavaju da iako se ''Australopithecus'' mogao kretati dvonožno, njegov je hod bio bitno različit od hoda modernog čovjeka.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Shipman | first=P. | title=Those Ears Were Made For Walking | journal=[[New Scientist]] | volume=svezak 143 | year=1994. | pages=str. 26. – 29. }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1002/ajpa.1330600302 | last1=Susman | first1=R. L | last2=Susman | first2=J. T | title=The Locomotor Anatomy of ''Australopithecus Afarensis'' | journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology | volume=svezak 60 | issue=broj 3 | year=1983. | pages=str. 279. – 317. | pmid=6405621 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Beardsley | first=T. | title=These Feet Were Made for Walking – and? | journal=[[Scientific American]] | volume=svezak 273 | year=1995. | pages=str. 19. – 20. | doi=10.1038/scientificamerican1295-19a | issue=broj 6 }}</ref>