Specialized rainforest hunting by Homo sapiens ~45,000 years ago

Oshan Wedage (), Noel Amano (), Michelle C. Langley, Katerina Douka, James Blinkhorn, Alison Crowther, Siran Deraniyagala, Nikos Kourampas, Ian Simpson, Nimal Perera, Andrea Picin, Nicole Boivin, Michael Petraglia () and Patrick Roberts ()
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Oshan Wedage: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Noel Amano: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Michelle C. Langley: Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan
Katerina Douka: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
James Blinkhorn: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Alison Crowther: University of Queensland
Siran Deraniyagala: Government of Sri Lanka
Nikos Kourampas: University of Stirling
Ian Simpson: University of Stirling
Nimal Perera: Government of Sri Lanka
Andrea Picin: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Nicole Boivin: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Michael Petraglia: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Patrick Roberts: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Defining the distinctive capacities of Homo sapiens relative to other hominins is a major focus for human evolutionary studies. It has been argued that the procurement of small, difficult-to-catch, agile prey is a hallmark of complex behavior unique to our species; however, most research in this regard has been limited to the last 20,000 years in Europe and the Levant. Here, we present detailed faunal assemblage and taphonomic data from Fa-Hien Lena Cave in Sri Lanka that demonstrates specialized, sophisticated hunting of semi-arboreal and arboreal monkey and squirrel populations from ca. 45,000 years ago, in a tropical rainforest environment. Facilitated by complex osseous and microlithic technologies, we argue these data highlight that the early capture of small, elusive mammals was part of the plastic behavior of Homo sapiens that allowed it to rapidly colonize a series of extreme environments that were apparently untouched by its hominin relatives.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08623-1

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