Australopithecus are the ape-man ancestors of humans and the first in our lineage to have walked upright as a matter of course. As many as nine different species of Australopithecus may have existed from 2-4 million years ago in Africa. The species with hefty jaws and massive faces - known as robust australopithecines - are believed by many scientists to belong in a separate genus, Paranthropus. In all australopithecines the males were up to twice the size of the females. However, even the largest male was quite short compared to modern humans, at only 150cm tall.

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