Australopithecus afarensis

In northern Tanzania, footprints helped anthropologists understand that other hominin species also coexisted near the famous human ancestor “Lucy,” a species known as Australopithecus afarensis, dating back roughly 3 million years ago.

Between 2 million and 3 million years ago, many kinds of hominins walked the same African landscapes as Lucy’s species, Australopithecus afarensis.

Most scholars agree these tracks were made by Australopithecus afarensis—Lucy’s species—fossils of which have been found at Laetoli.

The tracks are distinct from Australopithecus afarensis—the area’s known hominid species—suggesting early humans with very different strides may have coexisted.

Many speculated they were left by close kin of the famous fossil hominin known as Lucy, a member of Australopithecus afarensis, a human ancestor that lived between 3.9 and 3 million years ago.