How did primitive humans, with a top speed of 28 mph, hunt large mammals like deer, bears, wolves, etc, that can reach speeds of near 35 – 40 mph?
In: Biology
People have three big advantages: smarts, spears, and stamina.
Most importantly, people are smart. We can set traps and make tools, but just as importantly talk and plan hunting strategies and pass on lore about animals. And we can mentally model what our prey is thinking, allowing us to predict their moves. We can plot to circle around the deer or drive it off a cliff or spook it toward another hunter.
Also importantly, people have spears. We can throw very well, so we don’t necessarily have to catch an animal outright, we can hit it with something pointy. This is also useful for staying at a distance from dangerous prey.
And finally, we have stamina. People aren’t the very best endurance runners out there, but we are pretty good at it. Many species that can evade us over short distances can be caught up to over longer ones.
These are not entirely separate factors. Brains obviously help us make spears, but they also help us persist while hunting better…we can keep on a goal even when we no longer actually see the prey, and intelligence lets us track better. And it lets us do things like invent water skins or hollow ostrich eggs to keep hydrated during the heat of the chase. Similarly, there’s not necessarily a clear distinction between hunting with a spear and persistence hunting…it might take some pursuit to get close enough to hit your prey with a weapon, or prey might run after being wounded and need to be tracked down.
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