Australopithecus, which means "southern ape", is a taxon discovered first in South Africa by Raymond Dart. The so called "Taung baby" was a skull with the foramen magnum pointing downward, and not backward, as in apes. This clue led Dart to conclude that this was a bipedal, and not a quadrupedal animal. Later discoveries, such as Louis Leakey's "Zinj" (Australopithecus boisei), and "Lucy" (Australopithecus afarensis), showed conclusively that this was not an ape genus at all, but a Hominid genus. There were many species of Australopithecus, which evolved in South and East Africa. There are gracile forms, such as A. africanus, and robust forms, A. robustus, A. aetheopicus, and A. boisei. Australipithecine features include bipedality, and increased molarization, particularly in the robust forms. Australopithecines evolved at least 4.2 million years ago, and their line ended 1 million years ago. It is likely that Australopithecines were ancestral to the Homo line, but the discovery of Ardipithecus has put this into question. The photos below are of "Taung", "Zinj", "Lucy", "The Black Skull" (A. aethiopicus), as well as comparisons of the pelvis of chimpanzee, Australopithecus, and modern human. At left are the major sites for this African genus.