The Pelvic Girdle and Limb Bones of KSD-VP-1/1

The pelvis and limb bones of KSD-VP-1/1 are analyzed with respect to their implications for the history of morphology, gait pattern, and bauplan of Australopithecus afarensis. The pelvis is essentially of modern aspect, and differs little from that of modern humans save in a few minor respects, such as, for example, size of the auricular surface and acetabulum. Its ischial conformation is the direct evidence of a strong history of dynamic running in its immediate ancestors, and its general shape confirms the overall Australopithecus pattern of platypelloidy. The implications with respect to the history of the hominin bauplan are discussed, as are those impacted by recent developments in our understanding of developmental biology. These are reviewed in light of other recent analyses of early hominin morphology and locomotion.