Persistence hunting
Persistence hunting,also known asendurance huntingorlong-distance hunting,is a variant ofpursuit predationin which a predator will bring down a prey item via indirect means, such asexhaustion,heat illnessor injury.[1][2]Hunters of this type will typically display adaptions for distance running, such as longer legs,[3]temperature regulation,[4]and specialized cardiovascular systems.[5]
Some endurance hunters may prefer to injure prey in an ambush before the hunt and rely on tracking to find their quarry.Hadzahunter-gatherers do not persistence hunt, but they do run in short bursts while hunting small game.
Humans and ancestors
[edit]Humans are some of the best long distance runners in the animal kingdom;[6]some hunter gatherer tribes practice this form of hunting into the modern era.[7][8][9]Homo sapienshave the proportionally longest legs of all known human species,[3][10][11]but all members of genusHomohave cursorial adaptions not seen in more arboreal hominids such aschimpanzeesandorangutans.
Persistence hunting can be done by walking, but with a 30 to 74% lower rate of success than by running or intermittent running. Furthermore, while needing 10 to 30% less energy, it takes twice as long. Walking down prey, however, might have arisen inHomo erectus,preceding endurance running.[12]Homo erectusmay have lost its hair to enhance heat dissipation during persistence hunting, which would explain the origin of a characteristic feature of the genusHomo.[13]
Other mammals
[edit]
Wolves,[14][15]dingoes,[16]andpainted dogsare known for running large prey down over long distances. All three species will inflict bites in order to further weaken the animal over the course of the hunt. Canids will also pant when hot. This has the double effect of cooling the animal via the evaporation of saliva while also increasing the amount of oxygen absorbed by the lungs. Despite their similar body shape, other canids are opportunistic generalists that can be broadly categorized as pursuit predators.
Wolves may have been initially domesticated due to their similar hunting techniques to humans.[17][18]Several breeds of domestic dog have been bred with endurance in mind, such as themalamute,huskyandEskimo dog.[citation needed]
Spotted hyenasutilize a variety of hunting techniques depending on their chosen prey. They will occasionally use a similar strategy to canid endurance hunters, though their proportionally shorter legs makes this less effective.
Reptiles
[edit]
No extant members ofArchelosauriaare known to be long-distance hunters, though variousbirdspecies may employ speedy pursuit predation. Livingcrocodiliansand carnivorousturtlesare specializedambush predatorsand rarely if ever chase prey over great distances.
WithinSquamata,varanid lizardspossess a well developedventricularseptum that completely separates thepulmonaryandsystemicsides of the circulatory system duringsystole[5]—this unique heart structure allowsvaranidsto run faster over longer distances than other lizards.[5]They also utilize aforked tongueto track injured prey over large distances after a failed ambush. Severalmonitor lizardspecies such asKomodo dragonsalso utilizevenomto ensure the death of their prey.[19][20]
Extinct species
[edit]
Little evidence exists for endurance hunting in extinct species, though potential candidates include thedire wolfAenocyon dirusdue to its similar body shape to modern grey wolves.
Non-avian theropod dinosaurs such as derived tyrannosauroids and troodontids display cursorial adaptions[21]which may have allowed for long-distance running. Derived theropods may have also had an avian styleflow-through lung,allowing for highly efficient oxygen exchange.
Some non-mammalian theriodonts may have been capable of running relatively long distances due to their limbs having an erect stance as opposed to the sprawling stance of contemporary synapsids and reptiles.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Krantz, Grover S. (1968). "Brain size and hunting ability in earliest man".Current Anthropology.9(5): 450–451.doi:10.1086/200927.S2CID143267326.
- ^Carrier, David R. (August–October 1984). "The Energetic Paradox of Human Running and Hominid Evolution".Current Anthropology.25(4): 483–95.doi:10.1086/203165.JSTOR2742907.S2CID15432016.
- ^abCarretero, José-Miguel; Rodríguez, Laura; García-González, Rebeca; Arsuaga, Juan-Luis; Gómez-Olivencia, Asier; Lorenzo, Carlos; Bonmatí, Alejandro; Gracia, Ana; Martínez, Ignacio; Quam, Rolf (February 2012)."Stature estimation from complete long bones in the Middle Pleistocene humans from the Sima de los Huesos, Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain)"(PDF).Journal of Human Evolution.62(2): 242–255.Bibcode:2012JHumE..62..242C.doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.11.004.PMID22196156.Archivedfrom the original on 12 April 2019.Retrieved22 December2023.
- ^The evolution of sweat glands.Folk & Semken Jr. 1991. p. 181.
- ^abcWang, Tobias; Altimiras, Jordi; Klein, Wilfried; Axelsson, Michael (December 2003)."Ventricular haemodynamics in Python molurus: separation of pulmonary and systemic pressures".Journal of Experimental Biology.206(23): 4241–4245.doi:10.1242/jeb.00681.PMID14581594.S2CID25934805.
- ^Bramble, Dennis M.; Lieberman, Daniel E. (November 2004)."Endurance running and the evolution ofHomo"(PDF).Nature.432(7015): 345–352.Bibcode:2004Natur.432..345B.doi:10.1038/nature03052.PMID15549097.S2CID2470602.Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 December 2023.Retrieved22 December2023.
- ^Lieberman, Daniel E.; Bramble, Dennis M.; Raichlen, David A.; Shea, John J. (October 2007)."The evolution of endurance running and the tyranny of ethnography: A reply to Pickering and Bunn (2007)".Journal of Human Evolution.53(4): 439–442.Bibcode:2007JHumE..53..439L.doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2007.07.002.PMID17767947.S2CID14996543.Archivedfrom the original on 31 January 2024.Retrieved22 December2023.
- ^Lieberman, Daniel E.; Mahaffey, Mickey; Cubesare Quimare, Silvino; Holowka, Nicholas B.; Wallace, Ian J.; Baggish, Aaron L. (1 June 2020)."Running in Tarahumara (Rarámuri) Culture: Persistence Hunting, Footracing, Dancing, Work, and the Fallacy of the Athletic Savage".Current Anthropology.61(3): 356–379.doi:10.1086/708810.S2CID219067151.
- ^David Attenborough (25 August 2010)."The Intense 8 Hour Hunt".The Life of Mammals.BBC.Archivedfrom the original on 31 January 2024.Retrieved10 May2023– via YouTube.
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- ^Trinkaus, Erik (1981). "Neanderthal limb proportions and cold adaptation". In Stringer, Chris (ed.).Aspects of Human Evolution.Taylor & Francis. pp. 187–224.ISBN978-0-85066-209-2.
- ^Hora, Martin; Pontzer, Herman; Struška, Michal; Entin, Pauline; Sládek, Vladimír (2022). "Comparing walking and running in persistence hunting".Journal of Human Evolution.172:103247.Bibcode:2022JHumE.17203247H.doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103247.ISSN0047-2484.PMID36152433.S2CID252445717.
- ^Hora, Martin; et al. (January 2020)."Dehydration and persistence hunting in Homo erectus".Journal of Human Evolution.138:102682.Bibcode:2020JHumE.13802682H.doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102682.PMID31770677– via Science Direct.
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