A new study suggests that running down prey can be more efficient than slowly stalking it, explaining why humans evolved muscles for prolonged movement, sweating ability, and heat-shedding bare skin.
At human running speed, an antelope can be driven to exhaustion in 24 minutes, resulting in a five times bigger payoff in calories gained per time invested compared to walking pace hunting.
The study found nearly 400 historical reports of endurance pursuits by Indigenous peoples globally, indicating a significant role of persistence hunting in human evolution.
Some researchers are skeptical about the impact of persistence hunting on human evolution compared to other hunting methods frequently documented in historical records.
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