Hundreds of thousands of years ago, early humans hunted beavers as a food resource and possibly for their pelts. It was suggested based on the result of a study conducted by experts from Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz.
A New Look at Early Human Diet
Understanding the diets of early humans plays an important role in tracking our behavioral and cognitive evolution. However, most archeological records are strongly biased towards the remains of large animals, while it is well known that reliance on game meat alone could not satisfy human dietary needs.
Despite the biases, recent studies have documented a greater diversity in the food choices of hominins, including a variety of small animals, plants, and aquatic foods. It was believed to be practiced by the early modern human species in Africa and Neanderthals.
Most of the evidence dates back to the Middle Stone Age of Africa and the Middle Paleolithic in Europe from about 125,000 years ago. Meanwhile, far less is known about the subsistence base of the Middle Pleistocene predecessors of both human lineages. Existing record still strongly suggests a narrow diet based on large- and medium-sized ungulates.
READ ALSO: Hard Plant Foods Are Included In the Diet of Early Humans, Scientists Say
Targeted Hunting of Beavers
In a recent investigation, scientists explored a much deeper history of broad-spectrum subsistence of early humans than commonly assumed. The study "Beaver exploitation, 400,000 years ago, testifies to prey choice diversity of Middle Pleistocene hominins" reveals the result of the examination made by researchers on a large faunal assemblage from the 400,000-year-old hominin site of Bilzingsleben in Thuringia, central Germany.
The study focuses on 2,496 remains of two beaver species: the extinct giant beaver Trogontherium cuvieri and the living Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber). The remnants include 1,963 teeth and 533 cranial and postcranial bones and bone fragments.
Using magnifying glasses and digital microscopes, the researchers identified cut marks from stone tools, indicating intensive use of the carcasses. The cut mark distribution pattern suggests that the beaver may have been targeted for their skins and meat. However, it is interesting that the beaver remains from Bilzingsleben and mostly represents young adults.
Beavers are monogamous and territorial animals, and their home ranges between 0.62 to 1.86 miles (1 to 3 kilometers) along water streams. Generally, the beaver lodge is inhabited by the parents and two generations of offspring. The sexual maturity of the young adults allows them to start creating their territory and lodge.
This age class dominates the Bilzingsleben assemblage, indicating repetitive hominin predation on young adult beavers over an extended period. Since these animals have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, they require hunting tactics that differ from those of larger terrestrial animals.
Furthermore, ethnographic and historical sources reveal that beavers were mainly caught using nets or traps typically installed at their lodges' exits. The focus on young adults discovered in Bilzingsleben suggests more specific individual-targeting hunting strategies. Unlike small mammals such as hares and rabbits, beavers were high-ranked prey animals, which served as a valuable resource for hunter-gatherers in North America and Eurasia from the early Holocene period onward.
RELATED ARTICLE: Neanderthal Diet Study Shows They Ate Starchy Foods 600,0000 Years Ago to Fuel Their Brains
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