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Study Confirms Burtele Foot Belongs to Australopithecus deyiremeda, Revealing Coexistence With Lucy’s Species

Fresh isotope results with CT scans strengthen the species link.

On the left are eight foot bones and on the right are the same foot bones over an outline of a gorilla foot
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'Lucy' Was Neighbors With an Even Older Human Ancestor, Fossils Reveal
The new research could raise about the status of the famous Australopithecus afarensis skeleton 'Lucy'

Overview

  • New fossils from Woranso-Mille, including a jaw with 12 teeth and a CT-analyzed juvenile jaw, tie the 2009 Burtele foot to Australopithecus deyiremeda in a Nature study.
  • The Burtele foot’s opposable big toe points to climbing adaptations that contrast with the more ground-adapted foot of Australopithecus afarensis.
  • Tooth enamel isotope data indicate A. deyiremeda ate more leaves, fruit, and nuts from trees and shrubs, while A. afarensis showed a broader, mixed feeding strategy.
  • The findings indicate two australopiths lived side by side around 3.4 million years ago at Woranso-Mille through dietary and locomotor niche separation.
  • Researchers say the results expand evidence for diverse experiments in bipedality and keep open questions about Homo ancestry, even as Lucy’s species remains a strong candidate.