RT Journal Article
T1 Early Pleistocene faunivorous hominins were not kleptoparasitic, and this impacted the evolution of human anatomy and socio-ecology
A1 Domínguez Rodrigo, Manuel
A1 Baquedano, Enrique
A1 Organista, Elia
A1 Cobo Sánchez, Lucía
A1 Mabulla, Audax
A1 Maskara, Vivek
A1 Gidna, Agnes
A1 Pizarro Monzo, Marcos
A1 Aramendi, Julia
A1 Galán Abellán, Ana Belén
A1 Cifuentes Alcobendas, Gabriel
A1 Vegara Riquelme, Marina
A1 Jiménez García, Blanca
A1 Abellán, Natalia
A1 Barba, Rebeca
A1 Uribelarrea Del Val, David
A1 Martín Perea, David Manuel
A1 Díez Martín, Fernando
A1 Maíllo Fernández, José Manuel
A1 Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
A1 Courtenay, Lloyd A.
A1 Mora, Rocío
A1 Maté González, Miguel Ángel
A1 González Aguilera, Diego
AB Humans are unique in their diet, physiology and socio-reproductive behavior compared to other primates. They are also unique in the ubiquitous adaptation to all biomes and habitats. From an evolutionary perspective, these trends seem to have started about two million years ago, coinciding with the emergence of encephalization, the reduction of the dental apparatus, the adoption of a fully terrestrial lifestyle, resulting in the emergence of the modern anatomical bauplan, the focalization of certain activities in the landscape, the use of stone tools, and the exit from Africa. It is in this period that clear taphonomic evidence of a switch in diet with respect to Pliocene hominins occurred, with the adoption of carnivory. Until now, the degree of carnivorism in early humans remained controversial. A persistent hypothesis is that hominins acquired meat irregularly (potentially as fallback food) and opportunistically through klepto-foraging. Here, we test this hypothesis and show, in contrast, that the butchery practices of early Pleistocene hominins (unveiled through systematic study of the patterning and intensity of cut marks on their prey) could not have resulted from having frequent secondary access to carcasses. We provide evidence of hominin primary access to animal resources and emphasize the role that meat played in their diets, their ecology and their anatomical evolution, ultimately resulting in the ecologically unrestricted terrestrial adaptation of our species. This has major implications to the evolution of human physiology and potentially for the evolution of the human brain.
PB Nature publishing group
SN 2045-2322
YR 2021
FD 2021-08-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/4850
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/4850
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)
NO Swedish Research Council
NO Banco de Santander
NO Palarq Foundation
NO E2in2
NO COSTECH
NO Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
NO Tanzanian National Parks
DS Docta Complutense
RD 1 sept 2024