How tall were female Australopithecus afarensis individuals?

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Side view illustration of Australopithecus afarensis, an early human ancestor, shown walking upright with a hairy body and ape-like facial features. A scale beside the figure marks 12 inches and 40 centimeters. — Australopithecus Artist's rendering of *Australopithecus afarensis*, which lived from 3.8 to 2.9 million years ago.

Female Australopithecus afarensis individuals stood approximately 105 cm (about 3 feet 5 inches) tall.1

It is important to note that Australopithecus afarensis exhibited marked sexual dimorphism, meaning there were significant physical differences between males and females. While females were approximately 105 cm tall, males were significantly larger, standing about 151 cm (roughly 5 feet) tall. The famous fossil specimen known as "Lucy," an adult female Au. afarensis, stood slightly taller at approximately 109 cm (3 feet 7 inches).12