Scientists have found the first solid proof that ancient Americans mostly depended on mammoths and other large creatures for their sustenance. Their findings provide fresh insights into how humans rapidly spread across the Americas and the factors leading to the extinction of large mammals that roamed during the ice age.
Scientists have found the first solid proof that ancient Americans mostly depended on mammoths and other large creatures for their sustenance. Their findings provide fresh insights into how humans rapidly spread across the Americas and the factors leading to the extinction of large mammals that roamed during the ice age.
The research, highlighted on the cover of the journal Science Advances on December 4, employed stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the diet of a mother from an infant discovered at a Clovis burial site in Montana, dating back 13,000 years. Previously, researchers had to deduce prehistoric diets from indirect clues like stone tools or the remains of hunted animals.
These results back the idea that Clovis people were primarily focused on hunting large game rather than gathering smaller animals and plant foods.
Living in North America approximately 13,000 years ago, the Clovis people coexisted with mammoths, which ranged widely across northern Asia and the Americas. These animals represented a dependable source of fat and protein for mobile human groups.
“The emphasis on mammoths clarifies how Clovis populations could rapidly spread throughout North America and into South America in just a few centuries,” explained co-lead author James Chatters from McMaster University.
“What’s particularly noteworthy is that this data aligns with findings from other locations. For instance, the animal remains found at Clovis sites mostly consist of megafauna, and their large projectile points were mounted on darts, making them effective long-range weapons,” stated co-lead author Ben Potter, an archaeology professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Potter remarked that hunting mammoths allowed for a more adaptable lifestyle, enabling the Clovis people to explore new areas without depending solely on smaller, unpredictable local wildlife.
“This ability to move aligns with the technology and settlement patterns evident in Clovis culture,” Potter noted. “They were highly mobile and transported materials like tool stones over great distances.”
To estimate the diet of the Clovis mother, researchers first examined isotopic data from previous studies on the remains of Anzick-1, an 18-month-old Clovis child. By accounting for nursing effects, they were able to determine the dietary contributions of the mother.
“Isotopes serve as a chemical indicator of an organism’s diet and can be matched with potential food sources to gauge the share of various dietary components,” explained Mat Wooller, a co-author of the study and the director of the Alaska Stable Isotope facility at UAF.
The research group compared the mother’s isotopic profile against a range of food sources from her time and region. They discovered that around 40% of her food intake was mammoth, while other large species like elk and bison made up the remainder. In contrast, small mammals, once thought to be a key food source, were only a minor part of her diet.
Finally, the scientists matched the mother’s eating habits to those of other omnivores and carnivores from her period, including American lions, bears, and wolves. They found that she had a diet most similar to the scimitar cat, which specialized in hunting mammoths.
The findings also indicate that early humans may have played a role in the extinction of large ice age animals, especially as their habitats dwindled due to environmental changes.
“If climate shifts lead to a decrease in suitable habitats for these large creatures, it could make them more vulnerable to human hunters. These early humans were highly skilled at hunting,” Potter noted.
“You had a sophisticated hunting culture, developed over 10,000 years in Eurasia, encountering large animal populations that were not adapted to such effective hunters during a period of environmental stress,” added Chatters.
Potter and Chatters emphasized the importance of consulting with Native American communities in Montana and Wyoming, reflecting their concerns and interests in the research.
“It is crucial and ethically right to involve Indigenous peoples in discussions about their heritage,” they stated.
The researchers collaborated with Shane Doyle, executive director of Yellowstone Peoples, who communicated with various tribal representatives in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. “The feedback has been largely positive and appreciative towards inclusion,” Doyle said.
“I congratulate the team on their remarkable insights into the lives of Clovis-era Native peoples and commend them for their respectful and inclusive approach throughout their study,” he remarked. “This research reshapes our understanding of how Indigenous communities thrived through hunting some of the most formidable creatures of that time, namely the mammoth.”
Additional contributors to the paper include Stuart J. Fiedel, an independent researcher; Juliet E. Morrow from the University of Arkansas; and Christopher N. Jass from the Royal Alberta Museum.
