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

Oshan Wedage,Noel Amano,Siran Deraniyagala,Alison Crowther,Ian Simpson,Nimal Perera,Nicole Boivin,Michael Petraglia,Michelle C Langley,Katerina Douka,Nikos Kourampas,Patrick Roberts,James Blinkhorn,Andrea Picin

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-08623-1

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.

Highlights

Defining the distinctive capacities of Homo sapiens relative to other hominins is a major focus for human evolutionary studies
In Sri Lanka, stable isotope evidence has demonstrated that humans relied on rainforest resources for over 30,000 years[17], perhaps aided by the complex microlith and bone toolkits found at Late Pleistocene and early Holocene sites in the region[15,16,18]
The phases correspond to concentrations of charcoal, faunal remains, and artifacts, including osseous tools, shell beads, and quartz flakes (Supplementary Figure 1), and represent the major periods of human occupation of the cave

Summary

Introduction

Defining the distinctive capacities of Homo sapiens relative to other hominins is a major focus for human evolutionary studies. Coastal settings have been highlighted as providing homogeneous, protein-rich resources that stimulated human evolution as well as migration beyond Africa from the Late Pleistocene[4,5] Focus on these environments has meant that small mammals have been neglected in discussions of the human colonization of new environments, despite the fact that a specialization in their procurement is often considered a feature of technological and behavioral “complexity” or “modernity” unique to our species[6,7]. In Sri Lanka, stable isotope evidence has demonstrated that humans relied on rainforest resources for over 30,000 years[17], perhaps aided by the complex microlith and bone toolkits found at Late Pleistocene and early Holocene sites in the region[15,16,18]. The results of our new multidisciplinary analyses document specialized, sophisticated hunting of semiarboreal and arboreal prey taxa from ca. 45,000 years ago, in the tropical rainforest environments of Sri Lanka

Methods

Results

Conclusion