An archaeological dig in Africa discovers a collection of stone tools along with several skeletons in a cave.These bipedal skeletons date to about 3.5 million years ago and show no evidence of a partially opposable toe.Measurements indicate the brains would have been a little less than a third of the volume of modern humans.The teeth found on these skeletons look more like those of an ape than those of a human.This skeletal discovery is most likely which of the following?

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The description matches that of Australopithecus afarensis, which lived about 3.5 million years ago, was bipedal but did not have a partially opposable toe, had a brain size a little less than a third of modern humans, and had ape-like teeth. Sahelanthropus tchadensis is also a possible candidate but is known from a smaller sample size and with less definitive evidence. Ardipithecus ramidus is an earlier hominid and has a partially opposable toe, while Homo erectus is a later hominid with a larger brain size and more human-like teeth.

An Archaeological Dig in Africa Discovers a Collection of Stone