Hunting Methods of Early Man: Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus and Neanderthal Man - Coursework Example

Hunting Methods of Early Man: Homo Habilis, Homo erectus and “Neanderthal” man There are many functions of human body that have evolved as a result of the activities of the ancient man. The human mind has become quite sophisticated now and hence one can observe the major technological advancements and methods for obtaining food. Earlier men didn’t possess that much wisdom and they had to rely on simple techniques to gather their food for living. The major aspect of life that has continuously seen many phases is hunting for prey. People have been using various methods to catch their prey utilizing the tools they had and the techniques they could master. The human mind is a beautiful creation of God that can help adapting to the living conditions in all circumstances. As the man evolved from Homo habilis to Neanderthal stage, there have been several hunting strategies adopted as described below. Homo Habilis The origin of hunting can be dated back to the times of Homo habilis. These are the earliest know human species and were named by Richard Leakey in 1964. The meaning of their name is ‘handy people’. Their name was suggested on the basis of the tools they used in ancient times. They were always in search of hunting and scavenging by using the tools they had. They used rocks and heavy branches of trees to catch their prey. They had taste for wild animals and birds. They used sharp pieces of stone to cut meat and then ate it raw. They seemed to struggle in surviving in winters. The never built homes, towns or cities. Instead they had tiny shelters that were unable to save them from cold weather. The strategy of Homo habilis is to hunt in groups and stay together while finding a prey. The chances of catching a prey were bleak if a single person tries himself for catching a prey. They used to travel together in search of prey and used weapons of stone and wood to protect themselves from wild animals. They use to attack the prey randomly and couldn’t master intelligent methods to attack the animals and birds. They had the habit of planning their moves but with little strategy. They were popular scavengers with heavy tools to catch a big prey. They also fed upon the berries and fruits in the area they live if they couldn’t find any prey as food (Brown et al, n.p.) Homo Erectus These were the first human species that migrated from one region to another and did that rather continuously as their habit. Multiregional hypothesis has been developed to explain their habits. During this stage of human evolution, they were able to make more sophisticated tools for hunting their prey (Jurmain, 358). The hunting was performed in groups as in the previous stage and there were no established centers or companies that could provide facilities of experienced hunting. They got involved in large game hunting by using stampedes. In one case, archaeologists found traces of a huge elephant stampede forced from a cliff. This game allowed them to get big animals to which they can feed upon for several days. It is also found that they had butchering facilities at tiny scale and were able to cut the prey into small pieces and distributed meat and bones into their groups. The butchering was performed by Acheulean tools. Home erectus were intelligent enough to use fire for preparing weapons. They developed tools with carving points on wood spears. These tools were hardened in fire to give them strength. They even hunted animals as large as elephants. They used to migrate to other places to find prey for hunting. They could catch their prey faster than their earlier species since they could run easily on their feet. Neanderthal Man Neanderthals, as their name suggests, were more robust in their structure with projected noses, prominent chins and round finger tips. Like previous species they were able to control the fire and skinned animals for hunting. They developed variety of tools made from chipped rock. Some examples are knives, spear-sharpeners and borers. These tools were used for hunting prey and providing protection. They used to live in caves and had arrangements of fire to survive in winter. They were the closest in appearance and mental levels to humans today. They also had the habit of migrating from one place to another to find variety of prey and species. They were mostly found in the European countries. They had the ability to hunt any animal at that time. They had developed sufficient skills and strategies to catch any wild animal or bird. They were no more just the scavengers but the successful hunters. They also had the intellect to hunt the prey keeping in mind the environmental conditions in an area. They were able to communicate with each other and this fact aided them quite a lot if catching their food. They developed hunting as their favorite game by working together in groups (Brierley, 42). Neanderthals also possessed tools from Mousterian culture. These tools included weapons and projectiles. These tools were sufficient to catch absolutely any type of prey. Hence hunting has evolved continuously right throughout the evolution of the human. Throughout the different stages there were two significant contributors towards cultures and tools of hunting i.e. mental development and food requirements. As the time progressed to human today, the strategies and tools have advanced significantly enough to hunt any type of wild animal or bird. The man today is not the prey of animals instead he is a predator. This stage reflects the evolution of mental growth and understanding the food requirements at various stages of life. Man is able to learn from his failures and inefficient hunting practices of ancient times. Man has now learnt to use the natural things like stones, wood and fire to his advantage for creating variety of tools. They have mastered in making sharp tools like knifes that can cut through the prey in just a few moments. Today, people plan their hunting campaign before searching for prey and hence enhanced their chances for success. Works cited Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Brierley, John K. A Natural History of Man: A Biologists View Of: Birth and Death; Nature and Nurture; Man and Society; Health and Disease; Immigration and Emigration; History and Heredity; War and Peace. Rutherford [N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1970. Print. Brown, Graham, Stephanie Fairfax, and Nidhi Sarao. "Human Evolution." Tree of Life Web Project. N.p., 2006. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. Jurmain, Robert. Introduction to Physical Anthropology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Read More