This species had small incisors and very large molars. These are accompanied by robust chewing muscles and powerful jaws. All these point to a vegetarian diet, with an occasional small game added to the diet. An examination of the wear on the teeth of A. africanus suggests that they had an average life span of 22 years.
Australopithecus africanus may have been the inventor of stone tools, not Homo habilis although this position is extremely controversial. Recently, stone tools have been found that have been dated by the potassium-argon method to 3.1 and 2.5 million years ago. Although the latter may be the handiwork of Homo habilis, no creature of the genus Homo has ever been known to exist outside of 2.5 million years ago. This implies the presence of another tool maker, and it may be A. africanus, it is uncertain. There is always the problem of brain size: A. africanus' brain was about 440 cc. It leads one to wonder if such a primitive brain could have had the capacity to construct stone tools at all. However, recent research has shown that hunting and making stone tools--and other such activities previously thought to be the hallmark of mankind--do not consume much "brain-space." Some scientists are proposing that the ability to successfully play the game of social chess, and to generally be social, is what has made us so smart. This information may cut down on the brain size needed in constructing stone implements. You never know. As one philosopher said: "All great revolutions in science start as blasphemies."
On to Paranthropus aethiopicus
