Scientists have found evidence that the prehistoric Hollow people of North America ate the meat of giant mammals, especially mammoths, as a major part of their diet. This probably contributed to the rapid extinction of these animals.
The Clovis people lived in the northern regions of North America about 13,000 years ago during the last ice age. Scientists have already proven that they used sharp tools to kill mammoths and other large animals. However, there was still no direct evidence that they were part of the diet of this nomadic community. Only remains of animals and fragments of weapons were found.
Thanks to the latest analysis, advanced conclusions were reached. Experts have examined the chemical traces of food residues in the remains of an 18-month-old boy who was buried thousands of years ago and was found in 1968 near the town of Wilsall, Montana. Because the boy was breastfed, the research team was able to determine what his mother's diet was like.
Mammoths and other large mammals
The researchers concluded that this woman mainly ate the meat of megafauna, the largest animals in the ecosystem – especially mammoths, which made up 35-40 percent of her diet. Deer, bison, camels, and horses also formed a large part of his diet, and he ate the flesh of mammals and small plants in small quantities.
Archaeologist James Chatters of McMaster University in Canada, co-author of the study, published in the journal Science Advances, said: “Megafauna, especially Columbian mammoths, provided a large amount of meat and fat.” These animals, which are the ancestors of today's elephants, reached a height of about four meters and weighed up to 11 tons.
Columbian mammoth (art impression) Shutterstock
“People could play a bigger role in this.”
As the authors of the study note, the new findings support the idea that the nomadic society, whose ancestors crossed the strip of land that connects present-day Siberia with Alaska and Canada, focused on hunting the largest prey in the ecosystem.
According to scientists, the Clovis people probably traveled long distances following the migration routes of the mammoths. This strategy allowed them to “spread across North and South America over several hundred years”.
– These conclusions also help us to understand the reasons for the extinction of megafauna at the end of the last ice age. Archaeologist Ben Potter of the University of Alaska noted that humans may have played a bigger role in this than is sometimes thought.
Main image source: Shutterstock
