human primates sleep in the trees at night. So, it would seem to be that A. afarensis slept in trees also. Their skeletal structure agrees with their arboreal lifestyle. The large premolars of A. afarensis suggests they were frugivores, and the thick enamel on the teeth suggests they may have eaten nuts, grains, or hard fruit pies (Boyd and Silk, p. 334).Because A. afarensis is a close relative of gorillas and chimps, one would assume that they have similar social patterns, such as sexual selection and group behavior, as they do. For example, female philopatry characterizes most of nonmonogomous, gregarious primate species (Boyd and Silk, p. 212). A. afarensis probably has these same female-bonded kin groups as primates do. So, A. afarensis, like most primate species, social ties among females would most likely be stronger and more enduring than the bonds among males.Dispersal and distribution of males and females of A. afarensis would most likely be like that of other primates. The distribution of males is determined by the dispersal of females in the group. One would assume that A. afarensis dispersed like that of gorillas, where the males distributed more than females. This can be assumed because males were more sexually dimorphic than females, so they were stronger to be able to select the mate they choose.In conclusion, A. afarensis was one of the first homonids to diverge from the species of apes and on toward the evolution of the human species. Because of their intermediate position in their characteristics, A. afarensis can be differentiated as one of the first steps on the human evolutionary ladder from ape to human....
