[blam]

"The popular view of our ancient ancestors as hunters who conquered all in their way is wrong."

I don't know of anyone who didn't/doesn't think that humans were also prey.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[1FASTGLOCK45]

I was waiting to read the part that read something to the effect " and all life started in a cesspool created by the big bang". hehehehe

[Verginius Rufus]

Headline fooled me...I thought it was going to be about the Nashville hockey team.

[Paleo Conservative]

[Sam the Sham]

Ever notice that in nature shows ?

Lions charge into herd of wildebeest. Once they have singled out a victim the other wildebeest ignore it and relax. They make no effort to help their fellow.

[Frank T]

"According to the theory espoused by Professor Sussman, early humans evolved not as hunters but as prey for animals such as wild dogs, cats, hyenas, eagles and crocodiles." These guys?

[MineralMan]

Hey! Where'd they get that picture of my brother-in-law!?!

[escapefromboston]

According to the theory espoused by Professor Sussman, early humans evolved not as hunters but as prey for animals such as wild dogs, cats, hyenas, eagles and crocodiles.

I can see how humans could be hunted by wild dogs, hyenas and crocodiles, but cats and eagles?? What could an eagle or a cat do to someone?

[LiteKeeper]

YEC INTREP

[bikepacker67]

The latter group, it appears, could not adapt to pressures such as predation, and became extinct between one and 1.2 million years ago.

No Doubt, with Megafauna like this running around!

Shortfaced bear (Arctodus simus)
Height: 5.5ft (1.7m)
Lived: 800,000 years ago - 10,000 years ago
  Also called "Bulldog Bears", these long-legged lithe animals were taller but lighter
  than their modern cousins.
Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]


Dire Wolf (Canis dirus)
Height: 5ft (1.5m)
Lived: 1 million years ago - 10,000 years ago
  Huge cousins of the modern wolf and coyote. Once ranged over the entire
  western hemisphere.
Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ]


Sabertooth Cat (Smilodon fatalis)*
Height: 4ft (1.2m)
Lived: 1.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago
  Wonderfully named giant cat. One of several species cats during this time with
  massive canines. Its jaw open very wide, allowing it to literally stab its prey
  with 7-inch teeth. Sabretooths ranged throughout North and South America
Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]


American Scimitar Cat (Homotherium serum)
Height: 3.3ft (1m)
Lived: 1.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago
  The Scimitar cat, a smaller and rarer cousin to the Sabretooth lived in the northern
  regions of of North America, and fed on young and sick Mammoths and Mastodons.
Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4 ]


Giant Beaver (Castoroides ohioensis)
Height: 3.3ft (1m)
Lived: 1.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago
  Not much different from modern beavers, except in size. Castroides was a
  massive rodent, weighing up to 450 pounds. Ranged widely, but exclusively
  throughout North America.
Links: [ 1, 2 ]


Beautiful Armadillo (Dasypus bellus)
Height: 3.3ft (1m)
Lived: 1 million years ago - 10,000 years ago
  Like Castroides, this armadillo is not all that different from its modern
  cousins, except in size, and of course its lyrical name.
Links: [ 1 ]


Bone-crushing Dog (Osteoborus cynoides)
Height: 3ft (.9m)
Lived: 8 million years a go - 1.5 million years ago
  Small powerful primitive dog, built to do as its name implies,
  to crush and devour bones.
Links: [ 1 ]


American Camel (Camelops hesternus)
Height: 12ft (3.6m)
Lived: 1 million years ago - 10,000 years ago -
  Found in Alaska and the Yukon, Camelops is one of many camel
  species from this era - all of which originated in North
  America, which has no camels today outside of zoos.
Links: [ 1, 2 ]


Giraffe Camel (Aepycamelus)
Height: 10ft (3m)
Lived: 10-5 million years ago
  Another member of the Camel Family. Aepycamelus sports a very long
  neck, looking much like a giraffe and inspiring an earlier name of
  Alticamelus - literally 'Tall Camel'.
Links: [ 1 ]


Giant Irish Elk (Megalocerous giganteus)*
Height: 7ft (2.1m)
Lived: 500k- 10,000 years ago
  Megalocerous' impressive rack of antlers has been a collecters item
  for humans. Some can be found mounted in ancient European castles -
  falsely implying the owner had killed the long-extinct animal.
Links: [ 1, 2, 3 ]


Four-tusked Elephant (Gomphotheres)
Height: 8ft (2.4m)
Lived: 15-5 million years ago
  Mother Nature experimented heavily with elephant species and the arrangement
  of their tusks during this age. Gomphotheres ended up with both uppers and lowers.
Links: [ 1, 2, 3]

[RobbyS]

Anyone who has hunted know that even armed with a 30-06 man is not "all conquering."

[Mike Darancette]

I don't know of anyone who didn't/doesn't think that humans were also prey.

It all comes down to "sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you". The family of hominids is notoriously slow of foot and if caught out in the open probably easy meat for most large predators.

It has been postulated that Human radiation into North America was hindered by the large and nasty population of carnivores such as the Short Faced Bear.

[LibWhacker]

All these factors contributed to an emergence of sociable behaviour in hominids that made them harder targets for predators.

Was watching a show on the Science Channel last week that credited early man's mastery of fire. Leopards were the main predators "we" had to worry about. But with a nice fire burning at the entrance to your cave, you were safe.

[trashcanbred]

Just ask Timothy Treadwell if he thinks animals hunted humans...

[GovernmentShrinker]

I don't know of anyone who didn't/doesn't think that humans were also prey.

Me either. Well, except all the 6000-year-old earth creationists who hang around FR. They think we had dominion over all the other animals from Day 1. Or rather Day 6.

Despite humankind's considerable capacity for war and violence

Came in mighty handy when our ancestors were tangling with sabre-tooth tigers who wanted them for lunch. I imagine trying to negotiate a diplomatic solution with them was about as effective as with Osama and Saddam.

[Old Professer]

Pound for pound, and species for species, humans outnumber all land animals wherever their territories meet or overlap.

Man is his own worst predator.

[Reeses]

Despite humankind's considerable capacity for war and violence, we are highly sociable animals, according to anthropologists.

Despite? Nothing humans do requires more social skill than war. If two tribes get into a fight, the more social side will usually win due to better teamwork. Almost all modern human traits can be traced to its advantage in war. We walk upright to be able to carry weapons. Our long lifespan, well past breeding years, is so we have old wise men around to direct the battle. I can't figure out why anthropologists grasp at any explanation other than the real one: humans evolved from war and we are by nature war makers.

[Defiant]

eagles and crocodiles.

OK, who were these people being carried off by eagles???

And any people who were stupid enough to get eaten by crocodiles on a regular basis are about as smart as water buffalo, and deserve to be extinct. One member of the tribe falling prey every few years, ok, that is acceptable. But if you are going down to the local watering hole and keep getting eaten, you are not going to last long enough to evolve into anything. Me, I'd find another water source the first time it happened to anyone in my tribe.

[Dustbunny]

Arn't people part of the food chain now for all large predators when they are unarmed with defensive weapons?

[Dustbunny]

According to the theory espoused by Professor Sussman, early humans evolved not as hunters but as prey for animals such as wild dogs, cats, hyenas, eagles and crocodiles.

I hate to tell Professor Sussman but my husband says he is full of crap. Prey animals have eyes on the sides of their heads and all predators have their eyes in the front of their heads.

Most people we know have their eyes in the front of their heads. LOL /sarc