Australopithecus africanus skull (STS-5)
Australopithecus africanus skull. This is specimen STS-5, also known as 'Mrs Ples'. It dates from around 2 million years ago and was discovered in Sterkfontein, South Africa, in 1947. It is not certain whether the skull is from a male or female, but it is thought more likely to be a male. A. africanus is one of several extinct species forming an early part of the human evolutionary tree.