Although porc and gripe are some of themost popularmeats for modern man , it ’s sluttish to wonder if the same could be said when we could n’t just pop to the supermarket to pick them up . investigator previously think that humans in the Middle Pleistocene stick to to hunting and consume big mammal – but a recent study has let on a far smaller , middling unexpected item on the bill of fare : beavers .
In examining the bone of at least 94 beaver from 400,000 years ago , turn up from the Bilzingsleben site in Germany , a team of archaeologist uncovered what they described in their paper as “ taxonomic exploitation ofbeavers ” by humans at this time .
Under magnifying glasses and digital microscopes , the Oregonian bone showed sign of shortened target made by pit tools , something of an unusual find . " Until now , shorten marks on paleolithic beaver bones had been identified very rarely and on isolated ivory only , ” said Sabine Gaudzinski - Windheuser , one of the study ’s authors , in astatement .
The statistical distribution of the cut marks suggests that homo may have targeted dress hat for both their skins and as a informant ofmeat . As for why they took to corrode them , it might have something to do with these gnawer ’ characteristic rotundness . Fat was a moderately important food resource during the Pleistocene and the beaver remains mostly belonged to young adults – fully grownup and fat - copious , but not yet live in dealing with threats , making them an idealistic target forhunters .
The study ’s finding negate the late assumption that man had a relatively narrowdietuntil later on in the Pleistocene . " Until now , it was more often than not thought that people in Europe fed primarily on large plot until around 50,000 years ago , and that this was an important difference to the more conciliatory dietetic strategies of modern humans , ” enjoin Gaudzinski - Windheuser . “ We have now demonstrated that the hominin nutrient spectrum was much wide much earlier . "
Gaudzinski - Windheuser also had an explanation for why it may have seemed as though early humans hunt mainly expectant animate being , such as bovid and rhino . " The remains of large mammal from this period are loosely much better preserved than those of small ace , not to mention plant remains , ” said the researcher .
Modern human beings are also begin to explore some more unusual nutrient choices on the particularly minuscule side – you might find abug - basedmeal on your plate at some point in the nigh future .
The study is publish in the journalScientific Reports .
