Carnivory

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Most humans consume meat; there is a latitudinal range of variation where foragers at higher latitudes eat more meat than those at low latitudes. Animal products (meat and fat) can comprise up to 50% of total calories in regions of high latitudes. Meat-eating, albeit comprising a small proportion of their diet, occurs among baboon and cebus monkeys as well as chimpanzees and bonobos; but not other apes except humans. In contrast, many humans generally consume much greater amounts of meat from a large variety of animals (mammals, fish, mollusks).

Related MOCA Topics
Referenced By:
Topic Certainty
Cuisine
Female Iron Deficiency Speculative
Food Components
Torture Speculative

References

  1. Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not consume substantial mammalian meat, Lüdecke, Tina, Leichliter Jennifer N., Stratford Dominic, Sigman Daniel M., Vonhof Hubert, Haug Gerald H., Bamford Marion K., and Martínez-García Alfredo , Science, 2025 Jan 17, Volume 387, Issue 6731, p.309-314, (2025)
  2. The evolution of the human trophic level during the Pleistocene, Ben-Dor, Miki, Sirtoli Raphael, and Barkai Ran , American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2021/03/05, Volume n/a, Issue n/a, (2021)
  3. Exceptionally high δ15N values in collagen single amino acids confirm Neandertals as high-trophic level carnivores, Jaouen, Klervia, Richards Michael P., Le Cabec Adeline, Welker Frido, Rendu William, Hublin Jean-Jacques, Soressi Marie, and Talamo Sahra , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 03/2019, Volume 116, Issue 11, p.4928-4933, (2019)
  4. Tropical forager gastrophagy and its implications for extinct hominin diets, Buck, L, Berbesque J.C., Wood B, and Stringer C , Journal of Archaeological Sciences: Report, 09/2015, (2015)