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To meat or not to meat? New perspectives on N eanderthal ecology
Author(s) -
Fiorenza Luca,
Benazzi Stefano,
Henry Amanda G.,
SalazarGarcía Domingo C.,
Blasco Ruth,
Picin Andrea,
Wroe Stephen,
Kullmer Ottmar
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.22659
Subject(s) - predation , biology , ecology , food science , assemblage (archaeology) , zoology
Neanderthals have been commonly depicted as top predators who met their nutritional needs by focusing entirely on meat. This information mostly derives from faunal assemblage analyses and stable isotope studies: methods that tend to underestimate plant consumption and overestimate the intake of animal proteins. Several studies in fact demonstrate that there is a physiological limit to the amount of animal proteins that can be consumed: exceeding these values causes protein toxicity that can be particularly dangerous to pregnant women and newborns. Consequently, to avoid food poisoning from meat‐based diets, Neanderthals must have incorporated alternative food sources in their daily diets, including plant materials as well. Yrbk Phys Anthropol 156:43–71, 2015. © 2014 American Association of Physical Anthropologists