How Many Fossils?
If knowledge of the number and nature of australopithecine fossil remains were based solely on creationist sources, then one might well be left with the impression that there are only a handful of fossils that have been discovered and that even these are not especially informative. Henry M. Morris exemplifies this impression succinctly: “In many cases (e.g., Ramapithecus, Australopithecus [sic], etc.) the very fragmentary evidence is quite consistent with the view that such creatures were merely extinct species of apes” (1978:46). Use of the term fragmentary here conveys the double impression that the fossils themselves are in broken condition (frequently, but not entirely, true) and that there are hardly even enough specimens to bother considering, let alone use as a basis for some wild and imaginary evolutionary schemes (not nearly the true state of affairs). Morris and Gary Parker reemphasize the plausibility of these fossil forms being apes: “The name Australopithecus means `southe
