Hemisphere-wide evidence of Early Paleoindian megaherbivore specialization

The adaptive strategies of Early Paleoindians associated with the rapid and continent-wide expansions of Clovis and related Fishtail Projectile Point (FPP) complexes in the Americas have been subject to differing interpretations. Were Early Paleoindians megafauna specialists or dietary generalists? These alternative models offer profoundly different implications for Early Paleoindian prey choice, mobility, and technology. We synthesize and evaluate the zooarchaeological records of the earliest widespread cultural manifestations in Eastern Beringia [~14,000 to 13,300 calibrated years before the present (cal B.P.)], North America (Clovis complex, ~13,400/13,050 to 12,800 cal B.P.), and South America (FPP complex, ~12,900 to 11,600 cal B.P.) and summarize their adaptive strategies. Zooarchaeological, technological, and mobility data strongly support the megafauna specialization model. All three groups obtained most of their food from megaherbivores (>1000 kg): woolly mammoth in Beringia, Columbian mammoth in North America, and giant ground sloths and gomphotheres in South America. Focus on megaherbivores facilitated rapid human expansion into different ecosystems before the time-transgressive extinction of megafauna led to regional diversification through adaptations to locally available resources.