why is the name of australophithecus was given to early human

Dear Student,
The fossil data indicated that Australopithecus is ancestral to Homo and modern humans as the members of Australopithecus comprises a combination of humanlike and apelike traits. They were look-alike to modern humans as they can walk on two legs, also like apes, they had small brains. Their canine teeth were smaller than those discovered in apes, and their cheek teeth were bigger than that of modern humans.

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