First hominid from the Miocene (Lukeino Formation, Kenya)

Taphonomic analysis of skeletal remains from chimpanzee hunts at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda

“…This archaeological evidence is penecontemporaneous with the origin of the genus Homo at 2.3 Ma (Kimbel et al, 1996). However, most molecular estimates (Kumar and Hedges, 1998;Stauffer et al, 2001) and fossil evidence (Hailie-Selassie, 2001;Senut et al, 2001;Brunet et al, 2002) suggest that the hominin and chimpanzee lineages diverged at least six to eight million years ago. Therefore, there is considerable time during which the human lineage potentially was practicing some degree of pre-stone tool carnivory that may be difficult to detect in the archaeological record.…”

“…Finally, pre-technological hominins were similar in body size to modem chimpanzees (McHenry, 1992), lived in more closed environments than later hominins (WoldeGabriel et al, 1994;Pickford and Senut, 2001;WoldeGabriel et al, 2001;Vignaud, et al, 2002), and may have retained some tree-climbing adaptations (Richmond, 1998;Hailie-Selassie, 2001;Senut et al, 2001;Ward, 2002). We suggest that if pre-stone toolusing Pliocene hominins hunted and consumed small sized prey, the taphonomic signature of that hunting behavior would be more similar to chimpanzee consumption of small prey than Oldowan hominin stone tool-assisted butchery of larger prey.…”

“…Therefore, to maximize comparability of behavioral and ecological contexts when examining collections for these taphonomic signals, we suggest focusing on assemblages prior to the anatomical evidence for hominin obligate terrestriality. Although the degree to which early hominins were arboreal is currently unresolved, it is reasonable to suggest from the anatomy of the earliest hominins that they were at least occasionally in the trees (Richmond, 1998;Hailie-Selassie, 2001;Senut et al, 2001;Ward, 2002). We also suggest investigating sites with environments reconstructed as more wooded and wet with the trees necessary for arboreal monkeys and at least partially arboreal hominins, and particularly those sites where hominins and colobine monkeys co-occur.…”

The human adaptations to meat eating: a reappraisal

“…Recent data and discussions concerning primate gut morphology in relation to diet , as well as the fact that the evolutionary history of the hominids is much longer than previously recognized (Senut et al, 2001) may highlight in a different way the fundamental dietary trend of our species.…”

“…There is no reason to think that, during the last 6 million years during which hominids evolved (among others) forms closer and closer to Homo sapiens (Senut et al, 2001), there was a significant departure from this unspecialized and flexible dietary adaptation. However, the dietary history of hominids is likely to show several changes.…”