The fossil individual nicknamed Lucy was

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question concerns the fossil individual nicknamed Lucy and asks which statement best describes her.
Option 1: 'a typical robust australopith.' This is inaccurate because Lucy belongs to Australopithecus afarensis, not the later robust australopiths (which are generally assigned to Paranthropus or robust australopith lineages). The term 'typical robust australopith' misattributes morphological grouping that distinguishes a different lineage.
Option 2: 'a habitual biped.' This aligns with the well-established interpretation of Lucy as an early hominin with limb proportions and skeletal adaptations indicating habitual bipedal locomotion, a key feature differentiating bipedal walking from knuckle-walking or arboreal movement.
Option 3: 'unusually tall.' This is inconsistent with Lucy’s skeletal remains, which are fragmentary but indicate a small-bodied individual, not unusually tall stature for early hominins.
Option 4: 'alive around 2 mya.' This dating would place Lucy much later than the current consensus, since Lucy is dated to about 3.2 million years ago, not around 2 million years ago. The temporal placement is essential for correctly situating her within hominin evolution.
Overall, the statements differ in taxonomy, locomotion, stature, and timing, with each incorrect option reflecting a common misconception or misplacement relative to Lucy’s actual anatomical and paleontological context.

The fossil individual nicknamed Lucy was

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