A group of international researchers found what they describe as “the earliest direct evidence of proboscidean butchery,” including a newly identified elephant butchery site, according to an article published in the spring in the journal eLife.<\/p>\n
Modern elephants are the only living proboscideans today \u2014 a group that once included woolly mammoths and mastodons. The animal bones belonged to Elephas recki, an extinct elephant species.<\/p>\n
ANCIENT HUMANS WERE HUNTING AND EATING SHARKS 7,000 YEARS AGO, BURIAL SITE DISCOVERY SHOWS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The research centers on Olduvai Gorge, a site in northern Tanzania’s Serengeti Plains<\/a> known for major discoveries of early human fossils and tools.<\/p>\n At the site, excavators found stone tools alongside bones of ancient elephants<\/a> \u2014 and the recent paper, written by archaeologists and paleoanthropologists, suggests the remains were likely deliberately butchered by early human ancestors.<\/p>\n The remains of ancient elephants that were found in Tanzania (not pictured) point to systematic processing by early human ancestors. (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n The bones date back some 1.8 million years<\/a>, during the early Pleistocene epoch.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Though researchers have observed evidence of humans hunting large megafauna<\/a> in later periods, the discovery suggests that early humans processed elephant carcasses more systematically.<\/p>\n “The food surplus generated by the exploitation of some of these animals would have been a significant advantage.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The study also says that early humans’ ability to butcher large animals “represents a unique evolutionary trajectory, with no direct modern analogue.”<\/p>\n The discovery centers on Olduvai Gorge, pictured above \u2014 a site long known for major early human fossil and tool findings. (iStock)<\/p>\n “This shift in behavior is accompanied by larger, more complex occupation sites, signaling a profound ecological and technological transformation,” the paper states.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “Rather than opportunistic scavenging, these findings suggest a strategic adaptation to megafaunal resources, with implications for early human subsistence and social organization.”<\/p>\n Meat from large animals like elephants would have provided a significant food source<\/a> for early humans, the paper notes.<\/p>\n Elephant meat may have provided a substantial food surplus for early human groups, researchers say. (iStock)<\/p>\n “The food surplus generated by the exploitation of some of these animals would have been a significant advantage for the survival and adaptation of the hominin groups,” the study adds.<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to the study’s lead researcher for comment.<\/p>\n Researchers continue to uncover new clues about human diets, spanning from ancient civilizations to the earliest humans.<\/p>\n The discovery points to elephants playing a key role in early human diets and survival strategies. (Marica van der Meer\/Universal Images Group)<\/p>\n This past December, archaeologists in Pompeii uncovered preserved food remains<\/a> revealing what enslaved people ate before Mount Vesuvius erupted.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AFRICAN-ELEPHANT-NAME-4.jpg\")
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