Australopithecus afarensis (quite the name) is an extinct species of early human ancestor that lived around 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago in East Africa.

They’re famous because they walked upright on two legs but still had some ape-like features. One of the most well-known fossils of this species is “Lucy,” discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. She became famous for good reason.

Lucy is a partial skeleton discovered by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson. She is about 3.2 million years old and gave scientists huge insight into how early humans walked upright.

Her discovery was a big deal because, before Lucy, there wasn’t clear evidence showing exactly when our ancestors started walking on two legs. Lucy’s bones proved that upright walking came long before our brains got bigger.

Australopithecus afarensis is important because it helps us understand how humans evolved from more ape-like ancestors. If you already have a human skull in your collection, this is the perfect companion piece. After all, who isn’t curious about where humans came from and how we became who we are today?

Who would have thought that the ancestors of Lucy would one day figure out how to fly, communicate over vast distances, and even shop online?

This replica was created by sculptor Larry Williams, based on casts, photographs, published diagrams, and text describing these reconstructions. He has developed this extraordinary hominid model to bring our ancient past to life.