Final answer:
Professor Raymond Dart discovered the first Australopithecus africanus fossil in 1924 at Taung in South Africa. The Taung child skull, which showcased human-like traits, was encased in limestone and took four years to excavate.
Step-by-step explanation:
Professor Raymond Dart made a ground-breaking discovery in 1924, uncovering the fossilized remains of Australopithecus africanus. This significant find occurred at a site called Taung in South Africa where Dart was presented with a box of fossils from lime quarry workers. Among the contents, he found a skull embedded in limestone, which is a form of calcium carbonate deposits. The most notable item, which took four years for Dart to fully uncover, was the Taung skull or Taung child — a skull from a young individual of the species. Dart identified the Taung child as a link between apes and humans due to several distinctive features. The skull, although similar in size to that of a chimpanzee, displayed a lack of brow ridges, had circular orbits for the eyes, a small face with minimal prognathism, reduced canines without a diastema, and a forward position of the foramen magnum.