Did Our Ancestors Hunt Mammoths?

Take our mini-quiz and find out

Did our ancestors hunt mammoths? (2019/2019) by Fanny Le BagousseGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Was mammoth hunting…

A. A rare and dangerous endeavour or B. A common hobby

The correct answer is…

A. A rare and dangerous endeavour

Wool Mammouth (Mammuthus primigenius) #8 (2019-05-21/2019-05-21) by David Huguet/smergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

The mammoth was an animal that lived in herds. To attack one of them, people would have had to single out one of the herd, favoring a sick, old, or young individual, and separate it from the rest of the group.

Did our ancestors hunt mammoths? (2019/2019) by Fanny Le BagousseGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Hunting mammoths was therefore very dangerous. Furthermore, if they were successful, storing the meat would have been a challenge too. Out of opportunism, our ancestors likely preferred to eat the meat of any mammoths they found already dead (as carrion).

Were all our ancestors' tools made from flint? (2019/2019) by Fanny Le BagousseGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Let's see if you can answer another prehistory question!

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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