A recent study reveals that the earliest human cultures in the Americas were not simply opportunistic foragers. Instead, they were specialized big game hunters who dedicated their lives to hunting large animals like mammoths, elephant-like gomphotheres, and giant ground sloths—true Ice Age giants.
Paleoindians hunting glyptodonts, relatives of armadillos from the Pleistocene. Illustrated by Heinrich Harder, 1920.
For decades, archaeologists have debated whether Paleoindians focused on hunting megafauna or adopted a generalist lifestyle, consuming a diverse diet that included small game, fish, plants, and shellfish based on their environment.
In recent years, many scientists have leaned toward a generalist perspective. However, a new study led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks contradicts this notion.
Ben Potter, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, stated, “One of the competing theories is dietary generalization, which advocates for utilizing a wide variety of resources varying by region.”
“The other theory posits megafauna specialization, concentrating on a select few large-bodied prey.”
In this groundbreaking study, researchers analyzed 50 sites across three regions: Eastern Beringia (ancient Alaska, circa 14,000 to 13,300 years ago), the Clovis Culture of North America (approximately 13,400 to 12,800 years ago), and the Fishtail Projectile Point Culture of South America (roughly 12,900 to 11,600 years ago).
Together, these cultures represent the oldest known human societies extending across the Western Hemisphere.
By assessing factors such as species richness, minimum population size, and edible biomass, scientists discovered that megafauna constituted 83% to 88% of the meat and fat consumed by these groups.
Woolly mammoths dominated Beringia diets, while Columbian mammoths were prevalent in North America, and giant ground sloths along with gomphotheres were staples in South America.
While small animals were present in many locales, they provided minimal nutritional value.
“Evaluating culinary expertise involves more than identifying the number of specific animals at ancient campsites,” notes Professor Potter.
“If early humans were dietary generalists, the most common animals would be reflected more frequently in their campsites.”
“Mammoths and ground sloths were relatively rare in the environment, yet they dominate the archaeological record.”
“Conversely, rabbits and rats, despite being numerous, are seldom found in the record.”
The authors also cite independent evidence: chemical analysis of the Clovis-era child, Anzick-1, showed that about 96% of the mother’s proteins were derived from megafauna, primarily mammoths.
In addition to their diets, these early groups exhibited traits characteristic of professional hunters. They led highly mobile lifestyles rather than establishing fixed homesteads, and there was scant evidence of plant-processing tools such as grindstones.
Maps and dietary analysis illustrating how three Paleoindian cultures, East Beringian, Clovis, and Fishtail Projectile Point, specialized in hunting megaherbivores across the Western Hemisphere from about 14,000 to 11,600 years ago. Image credit: Ben Potter.
Professor Potter elaborated: “The focus on large edible herbivores explains the remarkable similarity in early toolkits found from California to Maine and across South America.”
“Hunters targeting the same type of animals across vastly different landscapes did not need to modify their methods to adapt to local conditions.”
“Archaeological findings included tools specifically designed for hunting large game, such as large fluted projectiles and specialized equipment for slaughtering.”
There was a significant absence of fishing tools and implements for processing plants.
This emphasis on large prey facilitated the rapid human expansion from Alaska to South America.
Typically, when hunter-gatherers venture into unfamiliar regions, it can take many generations to fully understand the local terrain, hunt smaller game, and identify edible plants. However, relying on large mammals alters this dynamic.
“Mammoths, for instance, were widespread, traversing vast territories,” stated Matt Uhler, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“In effect, expert hunter-gatherers utilized their knowledge of megaherbivores like mammoths to expand across continents faster than they would have if they had to learn about every local ecosystem.”
The researchers hypothesize that this specialization in hunting large herbivores may have significantly impacted ecological networks, contributing to the mass extinction of Ice Age megafauna as these cultures migrated southward.
Mammoths and horses vanished from Alaska around 13,300 years ago, coinciding with the earliest known human occupations.
In North America, Clovis-era megafauna disappeared by 12,800 years, while gomphotheres and giant ground sloths lingered in South America until approximately 11,600 years ago.
“This pattern of arrival, proliferation, and extinction may have repeated itself, each time progressing further south, making a compelling case for human hunting as the primary catalyst for megafauna extinctions, with climate change possibly exacerbating the situation,” Professor Potter concluded.
“Megaherbivores reproduce slowly, occupy expansive territories, and lack natural predators as adults.”
“They likely did not possess the learned wariness that technologically advanced hunter-gatherers exhibited.”
For more information, see the study published in the Journal on July 1, 2026, in Scientific Progress.
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Ben A. Potter et al. 2026. Hemispheric-scale evidence for early Paleoindian megaherbivore specialization. Scientific Progress 12(27); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aef9628
Source: www.sci.news
