Skip to main content

LCF of Australopithecus

 

The Afar Australopithecus (Australopithecus afarensis) had a ligament of the head of femur, in Latin called ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF), as well as a ligamentum teres (rounded/round ligament). Remains of a female specimen of this species were found in Ethiopia, conventionally referred to as 'Lucy' who lived approximately 3.2 million years ago (1994KimbelWH_RakY; 2004JohansonDC). On the preserved femoral head, a well-defined pit of the femoral head is noticeable—the trace of the distal attachment of the LCF. The location of the pit on the femoral head in Australopithecus afarensis and Homo sapiens is the same. Therefore, it can be assumed that Lucy walked similarly to anatomically modern humans.

Illustration:

Australopithecus afarensis had LCF 

3D model of the proximal left femur of Afar Australopithecus (Australopithecus afarensis, AL 2501.1rp17); dorsal view (fragment of screenshot: sketchfab.com). The arrow indicates the fovea of the femoral head - the place of attachment of the LCF (lig. teres). 

.                                                                     .

References: 

Kimbel WH, Johanson DC, Rak Y. The first skull and other new discoveries of Australopithecus afarensis at Hadar, Ethiopia. Nature. 1994;368(6470)449-51.

Johanson DC. Lucy, thirty years later: an expanded view of Australopithecus afarensis. Journal of anthropological research. 2004;60(4)465-86.

keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligament of head of femur, ligamentum teres, связка головки бедра, круглая связка, anatomy, paleontology

BLOG CONTENT

ZOOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

University_of_Guelph(website)

  Content [i]   Annotation [ii]   Original text [iii]   Illustrations [iv]   Source  &  links [v]   Notes [vi]   Authors & Affiliations [vii]   Keywords [i]   Annotation A quote from an article on the University of Guelph website. The publication mentions the animal's ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) and states its function: fixing the femoral head in the acetabulum. The text in Russian is available at the following link: University_of_Guelph(website) . [ii]   Original text Quote 1.  Hindlimb skeleton. Femur [animals]   The articular head of the femur is deeply rounded and it bears a round ligament that holds it into the acetabulum.   [iii]   Illustrations – [iv]   Source  &  links STRUCTURE OF THE SKELETON.  2023.   animalbiosciences.uoguelph.ca [v]   Notes The work  is cited in the following publications:  [vi]   Authors & Affiliations Unive...

Tweet of December 19, 2025

  Edwin Smith Papyrus vis-à-vis Book of Genesis   A correspondence was found between the level of medical knowledge in the Edwin Smith Papyrus and the Book of Genesis; they were written during the same historical period. see: https://kruglayasvyazka.blogspot.com/2025/11/lcf-1.html Tweet of December 19, 2025 #Edwin_Smith_Papyrus  #Genesis  #Book_of_Genesis #Ancient_Egypt BLOG CONTENT TWITTER OR X                                                                            

Edwin Smith Papyrus vis-à-vis Book of Genesis

   A correspondence has been found between the level of medical knowledge in the Edwin Smith Papyrus and the Book of Genesis. Were both works written during the same historical period? What do medical historians and Egyptologists think about this?  Based on the analysis I conducted, I believe that the protograph of the Book of Genesis was written at the end of the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt, with the collaboration of an Asian diviner and an Egyptian physician. Arguments in more detail are presented in my online article: Архипов С . В . Кто и когда впервые описал повреждение ligamentum capitis femoris ? (WHO FIRST DESCRIBED THE LIGAMENTUM CAPITIS FEMORIS INJURY AND WHEN? This article is available in Russian, and translation to your desired language can be done using a browser plugin). See: Pt. 1. https://kruglayasvyazka.blogspot.com/2025/11/lcf-1.html Pt. 2. https://kruglayasvyazka.blogspot.com/2025/11/lcf-2.html Pt. 3. https://kruglayasvyazka.blogspot.com/2...

1881HartmannR

  Fragments from the book Hartmann R. Lehrbuch der Anatomie des Menschen (1881). The author discusses the shape, anatomy of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF), mentions its synonyms and cases of absence in animals. The text is prepared for machine translation using a service built into the blog from Google or your web browser. In some cases, we have added links to quotations about LCF available on our resource, as well as to publications posted on the Internet.   Fig. 99. Eröffnetes rechtes Hüftgelenk eines Erwachsenen. (Das Periost ist meist hinweggenommen.) I) Os ilium. II) Os ischii. III) Os pubis (Ramus horizontalis) z. Th. IV) Femur. 1) Fossa acetabuli. 2) Caput femoris mit seiner überknorpelten Gelenkfläche. 3) Lappen der zerschnittenen Gelenkkapsel. 4) Ligam. teres. 5) Knorpelüberzug der Facies lunata. (Vergl. Fig. 61, 22.)   Quote pp. 160-162 Das Hüftgelenk (Articulatio coxae s. femoris). Dem Limbus acetabuli jedes Hüftbeines (S. 101) sitzt ein Labru...

1996(d)ArkhipovSV

  The endoprosthesis of the femoral head ( Эндопротез головки бедренной кости ) Patent Application RU96118782A Inventor Сергей Васильевич Архипов Original Assignee Sergey Vasilyevich Arkhipov Application RU96118782/14A events 1996-09-20 Application filed by С.В. Архипов 1998-12-27 Publication of RU96118782A Claims The endoprosthesis of the femoral head, comprising a head connected to the intraosseous rod, characterized in that the head is formed as a hollow spherical segment, is provided with a through hole, and intramedullary rod has a longitudinal bore there through and the stiffeners, and connected to lateral extramedullary plate provided with through-cone holes which set screws with conical head connected to the extramedullary medial plate, and through the die opening intraosseous rod channel omitted flexible member of dynes end connected to the extramedullary lateral plate and the other with a fastening member. Description of the invention Description in Russian is...

Pathology of the Nervous and Vascular System LCF

  Version : 20240419 Pathology of the Vascular System OF LCF 1. Arterial thrombosis 2. Phlebothrombosis 3. Embolism 4. Damage to the walls 5. Occlusion 6. Varicose veins 7. Valve dysfunction 8. Atherosclerosis 9. Obliteration 10. Phlebitis 11. Arterial hyperemia 12. Venous hyperemia 13. Devascularization 14. Disappearance of large vessels 15. Decrease in capillary density   Pathology of the Nervous System OF LCF 1. Reducing the number of receptors 2. Disappearance of receptors 3. Selective denervation 4. Total denervation 5. Damage to the corresponding spinal cord nuclei   Keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligament of head of femur , round ligament, ligamentum teres, classification, pathology, vessels, nerves                                                             ...

With Irony About the Author

  More than a quarter of a century ago, I asked myself the question: why do penguins and people waddle? I studied the locomotion of people and animals, movement of machines, observed in zoos and museums, studied the structure of birds and human, experimented and analyzed, developed a mathematical apparatus. For the penguins the operation was developed: circular periacetabular osteotomy of the pelvis with rotational transposition of the proximal area of attachment of the ligament of the head of femur (ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres). A similar operation can improve the gait of some people too. In the beginning, there was a question... Track Music:  Blue Dot Sessions ,  Vittoro  (CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED / fragment) Welcome! We invite you to join the project. Subscribe to our blog & channel  YouTube: @boutLCF   BLOG CONTENT FUN FACTS

1836-1840PartridgeR

  «Prof. Partridge in his lectures on anatomy at King's College was accustomed to compare the Ligamentum Teres, in its function, to the leathern straps by which the body of a carriage is suspended on springs » ( 1874SavoryWS ). Perhaps Nikolai Pirogov listened to these lectures ( 1859PirogoffN ).   The analogy that Richard Partridge used could have arisen after reading the monograph Bell J. The Principles of Surgery (1801) . In it, the author depicted a cart and a pelvis resting on the head of one and two femurs. However, there is no mention of ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) in the chart descriptions. References Savory WS. On the use of the ligamentum teres of the hip joint. J Anat Physiol. 1874;8(2)291-6.    [ ncbi.nlm.nih.gov  ,    archive.org ] Pirogoff N. Anatome topographica sectionibus per corpus humanum congelatum triplici directione ductus illustrate. Petropoli: Typis Jacobi Trey, 1859.   [ books.google  ,   archive.org ] ...

Key Role of the LCF

  In the experiments conducted on the pelvis-femur-muscle-ligaments model, we found that when the contralateral pelvic drop occurs, the ligament of the head of femur become maximally tense; simultaneously, there is relaxation and lengthening of the gluteus medius muscle; the pelvis spontaneously rotates towards the stance limb (forward), and the load on the hip joint decreases. Thanks to the functioning of the ligament of the head of femur the walking is smooth, rhythmic, and energy-efficient. Track Music:  Blue Dot Sessions , Vittoro (CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED / fragment)  "Take care of the ligament of the head of femur for yourself and your neighbor!" .                                                                       . keywords: ligamentum capitis femoris, ligament of head of femur, ligamentum te...

Human Children. Retelling of Chapter 15

  Short retelling of chapter 15 of the essay: Arkhipov S.V. Human Children: The Origins of Biblical Legends from a Physician's Perspective. Joensuu: Author's Edition, 2025. [In Russian]  Chapter 15. EXODUS FROM HARAN Jacob thrives as a shepherd in Haran, amassing wealth while his father-in-law, Laban, grows poorer. Sensing Laban’s growing resentment, Jacob foresees trouble and flees with his family, livestock, and possessions, aiming for “the land of Canaan.” His caravan crosses a river—likely the Euphrates—and heads toward “Mount Gilead.” Genesis doesn’t specify the journey’s duration, but ten days later, Laban overtakes Jacob at Gilead. Here, it’s revealed Jacob labored 20 years in Haran: 14 for his wives, Leah and Rachel, and six under a later deal for livestock. At Mount Gilead, the families reconcile, sealing peace with a monument—a rock pillar encircled by stones—named “Jegar-Sahadutha,” “Galeed,” and “Mizpah.” Laban returns home, and Jacob presses on to “Mahanaim.” ...