How Did Herbivore Chimps Evolve Into Omnivore Humans?

[Panthera Leo]

I have been wondering how herbivore chimps evolved into omnivore humans and how could humanoids chew raw meat without having sharp teeth as fire was discovered about 250 000 years ago only & evidence of hunting by humanoids dates further back, & suggests humanoids hunted even when they couldn't cook!... ?!

Many thanks for your replies.

 

[apeiron]

You have quite a few things wrong here.

Chimps did not evolve into humans - a separate ape lineage to hominids. And chimps in fact eat meat and hunt.

There is reasonable evidence that Homo erectus had fire 1.3 mya (and that they hunted). Though they also had sturdier teeth and jaw muscles.

Earlier hominids did appear to be herbivores judging by tooth wear and skull crests.

But don't forget that insects and shellfish are good sources of protein. And you need a lot of fat and protein in your diet to support a big brain. Homo sapiens may have really got going as a coastal specialist for this reason.

 

[Evo]

Raw meat cut in small slivers is not as tough as when it is cooked in some cases. Take a rock and pound it, it gets really tender.

 

[Panthera Leo]

Thank you for your information

 

[Gannet]

Check out this link

http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview1a.shtml"

 

[Quantum-lept]

"""-fire was discovered about 250 000 years ago -"""

I believe that you mean that rotisserie cooking was invented-...(:

 

[ThomasEdison]

I have been wondering how herbivore chimps evolved into omnivore humans and how could humanoids chew raw meat without having sharp teeth as fire was discovered about 250 000 years ago only & evidence of hunting by humanoids dates further back, & suggests humanoids hunted even when they couldn't cook!... ?!

Many thanks for your replies.

Hunted or scavenged?
Opinion:
A carnivore can scavenge too which can result in getting many of the softer meat tissues as well ( the guts and organs and marrows and brains.)
I always assumed top predator means scare away other predators and take their kills. Not always hunting the kills themselves per se.
When I see nature shows of the savannah the pecking/feeding order starts after a kill has already been made. The animals that eat the kill are not always the ones that took it down: hyenas swoop in and take the lions kills for example. I get this picture that proto-humans did a bit of that as well using sophisticated scare tactics and simply by being crafty.
Perhaps primitive man was a scavenger first and then hunter second and used tools to break bones and skulls of already dead animals. Those tissues are soft and I would assume easier to digest and high in protein and fats.


Along similar lines: many paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts were grossly offended at the very idea that T-rex could have been a scavenger. But just imagine the hierarchy of animals eating a gigantic dinosuar corpse!
Th sort that arrives when a giant carcass is stenching it up for miles around and takes over by the sheer terror it invokes is the most fierce creature around. The one that scares everyone else away from the feeding area. Perhaps humans did the same but with intimidating group tactics and strategies. Scavenger has a bad image for most people and it should not.

 

[Quantum-lept]

""Scavenger has a bad image for most people and it should not."""

ABsolutely!..Dumpster diving is a fine and noble art...(:

 

[Gannet]

From what I read while early Homonids were living on the Savannah, they would wait for the scavengers to leave the carcass, then they would feed on what they left and break the bones to get to the marrow. And that was a great food for brain development.

Another side point: Insectivores have long tongues, Herbivores have big guts, and Carnivores have big brains

 

[Gannet]

From http://bruceowen.com/worldprehist/3250s03.htm"

 A hotly debated question: were the hominids hunting these animals, or scavenging from carnivore kills?
 lots of bones from animals' torsos
 hunters will often cut off the meaty limbs and carry them home, leaving the heavy, less valuable body behind
 but there are a lot of these second-rate body parts in the hominid sites
 not what you would expect of hunters using "home bases"
 cutmarks can address the issue of hunting vs. scavenging
 presence of carnivore bones and cutmarks on the same bones, at the same sites
 when cutmarks and carnivore toothmarks cross, you can tell which was made first
 in fact, they are all mixed up
 sometimes carnivore chewing before stone tool butchery, sometimes after
 suggests scavanging, and that carnivore were still around when hominids got there, or came back after they left
 Fagan presents a mixed foraging and scavenging model
 hominids forage for plants in the wet season
 tooth wear evidence suggests australopithecines and H. habilis ate a similar diet to chimps, heavy on plants
 scavenge meat in the dry season when there are fewer plants to eat
 focussing on kills by carnivores in wooded areas near rivers
 because the hominids need the protection of the trees
 and because their large brains give them an advantage in finding these kills before other carnivores and scavengers get there

Humans are the only animal that cooks its food.

 

[ThomasEdison]

From what I read while early Homonids were living on the Savannah, they would wait for the scavengers to leave the carcass, then they would feed on what they left and break the bones to get to the marrow. And that was a great food for brain development.

Another side point: Insectivores have long tongues, Herbivores have big guts, and Carnivores have big brains

And omnivores are the smartest of all. :)

 

[zomgwtf]

Humanoids definitely ate their meat raw. We can still eat our meat raw and some cultures did continue to eat their meat raw. In fact eating your meat raw is much better for you as you get the full benefit of your food source. When you cook it you denature everything and it loses its value to humans, especially vitamins. If you ate raw meat you would get plenty of vitamins, once you cook it you get close to none.

Is it tougher to eat? Well if you don't tenderize it or cut it up first yeah. Early hominids had much stronger jaw muscles/structure than we do now though and chewing your food isn't even half the digestive process.

Someone might think about diseases or bacterias. The biggest being salmonella. This bacteria isn't in the meat but it will develop on the surface after the animal is dead and emat is exposed. Salmonella is found on plenty of surfaces and humans build up a natural tolerance for it. It's only when you eat a huge quantity or your immune system is weakened that you will get sick. So if the meat is eaten quickly after the kill there should be no problems at all.

 

[Panthera Leo]

We can still eat our meat raw and some cultures did continue to eat their meat raw.

This is really interesting,I am wondering which cultures still eat their meat raw, are they like Masai peoples in Africa which drink blood from cows...?

 

[zomgwtf]

This is really interesting,I am wondering which cultures still eat their meat raw, are they like Masai peoples in Africa which drink blood from cows...?

Here's something about the Inuits.

Not all their food was still being eaten raw but some of it still was:

http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-3h.shtml

 

[itssusan]

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