The first Australopithecus africanus fossil was contentious as a hominid partly because it was a young child.

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The first Australopithecus africanus fossil, discovered in Taung, South Africa in 1924, was initially controversial because it was the skull of a young child. Some scientists at the time argued that it was simply an ape rather than a hominid. However, further analysis and the discovery of additional A. africanus fossils confirmed it as a hominid species.

The First Australopithecus Africanus Fossil Was Contentious as a Hominid