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Global archaeological evidence for proboscidean overkill
Todd Surovell1, Nicole Waguespack, P Jeffrey Brantingham
1Department of Anthropology, P.O. Box 3431, 1000 East University Avenue, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. surovell@uwyo.edu
Summary
Prehistoric human expansion likely caused proboscidean extinctions, as kill sites cluster at range edges. Proboscideans survived in areas inaccessible to humans, suggesting overkill as a primary driver.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Archaeology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Proboscideans, including elephants, were once widespread across continents.
- Modern wild elephant populations are restricted to Africa and South Asia.
- Pleistocene extinctions of proboscideans are attributed to climate change or human hunting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causes of proboscidean extinctions.
- To test the overkill and climate-change hypotheses using archaeological data.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of global archaeological spatiotemporal patterning.
- Examination of proboscidean kill/scavenge sites spanning 1.8 million years.
Main Results:
- Archaeological evidence of human exploitation of proboscideans is concentrated at the edges of human geographic ranges.
- This pattern aligns with the overkill hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- Prehistoric human range expansion may have led to localized proboscidean extinction events.
- Proboscideans have historically survived in refugia inaccessible to humans.