Scientists have uncovered direct evidence of the diet of ancient North American humans during the last Ice Age. The findings suggest that mammoths were a staple of their menu, with the massive animals making up about 40% of their consumption.
Researchers analyzed the bones of an 18-month-old boy who lived around 12,800 years ago in southern Montana. Since he was still nursing at the time of death, his bones retained chemical fingerprints from his mother’s diet, which were then passed on through her milk. The study revealed that the boy’s diet consisted of mostly meat from megafauna – the largest animals in the ecosystem.
Mammoths, cousins of modern elephants, were a crucial source of energy-rich fat and protein. Their massive size allowed them to sustain entire communities for days or weeks while hunters sought their next kill. The Clovis culture, which dates back around 13,000 years, was known for its mobile and nomadic lifestyle, using large stone spear points and knives to hunt massive prey.
The study’s results support previous archeological findings that suggest the Clovis people focused on hunting the largest prey instead of foraging for plants. This strategy likely enabled them to expand rapidly throughout North America and into South America over vast distances.
The researchers also found that humans may have played a more significant role in megafaunal extinctions than previously thought, adding stress to already vulnerable ecosystems.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/mammoths-topped-menu-north-american-190454627.html