Final answer:
The fossil record, including the Laetoli footprints and features of the pelvis and limbs, confirms that Australopithecines exhibited a form of bipedalism, although not identical to modern humans. Therefore, the statement is true.
Step-by-step explanation:
Did Australopithecines Exhibit Bipedal Stature?
The question inquires about the presence of modern bipedal stature in Australopithecines. Evidence from the fossil record, including discoveries by Mary Leakey of hominin footprints in Laetoli, Africa, indicates that Australopithecus afarensis, an ancestor of modern humans, exhibited bipedalism. Morphological features such as pelvic shape and footprints demonstrate walking upright, which is essential in the evolution of human bipedal stature. Whilst not identical to modern humans, Australopithecus afarensis did share this significant characteristic.
A key point is that, although Australopithecus species like A. afarensis and A. africanus were capable of bipedal locomotion, their limb proportions and some skeletal features suggest a mode of bipedalism that was not exactly like that of modern humans. They likely spent time in both terrestrial and arboreal environments, as evidenced by their anatomy, such as longer arms and curved fingers and toes mostly associated with brachiation, alongside features conducive to bipedal walking like a more human-like pelvis, a more anterior foramen magnum, and the angle of the femoral head and neck. The fossil record, therefore, supports the statement that modern bipedal stature can be found with Australopithecines, and the correct answer to the question is true.