1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910454047603321

Autore

Hart Donna

Titolo

Man the hunted : primates, predators, and human evolution / / Donna Hart, Robert W. Sussman

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Boulder, CO : , : Westview Press, , 2009

ISBN

0-429-96763-2

0-429-49908-6

0-7867-2594-X

Edizione

[Expanded ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (377 p.)

Altri autori (Persone)

SussmanRobert W. <1941->

Disciplina

599.8153

599.93/8

Soggetti

Primates - Behavior

Predation (Biology)

Primates - Evolution

Human evolution

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-345) and index.

Nota di contenuto

CONTENTS; Foreword to the First Edition ix; Preface to the Expanded Paperback Edition xv; 1 JUST ANOTHER ITEM ON THE MENU 1; Fossil Evidence and Living Primates, 5; Predation and Primate Studies, 9; An Accurate Appraisal of Predation, 9; 2 DEBUNKING "MAN THE HUNTER" 11; Will the First Hominid Please Stand Up? 13; A Messy Bush, 21; Wanderlust, 22; Man the Hunter? 23; Man the Dancer! 28; We Were Not "Cat Food"! 30; 3 WHO'S EATING WHOM? 33; A Tale of Two Families, 34; The Prey Flee, the Predator Pursues, 38; Who Are These Primate Prey? 41; The Dichotomy about Death, 45

The James Carville Approach, 46Predation Risk versus Predation Rate, 52; Who Was Eating Our Hominid Ancestors? 55; 4 LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY! 57; Choose Your Weapon, 63; The Long and Winding Road from South Africa to Georgia, 70; Killing Machines, 76; Before the Age of Ulcers, 77; Perfect Primate Predators, 80; Give Us the Bear Facts, 84; 5 COURSING HYENAS AND HUNGRY DOGS 89; Wolves at the Door, 90; No Laughing Matter, 95; Howls in the Prehistoric Night,



97; Leaders of the Pack, 104; 6 MISSIONARY POSITION 111; The Serpentine Route, 112; Breathing Fire: The Komodo Dragon, 124

My, What Big Teeth You Have! 127On Top of Everything Else, Sharks, Too? 133; 7 TERROR FROM THE SKY 135; Featherweights and Talon Tips, 138; Crested Viragos, 141; An Alfred Hitchcock Moment, 147; The Record of Giant Raptors, 149; The Taung Child Tells Its Tale, 151; Running Hawks, Hungry Toucans, and Giant Owls, 155; 8 WE WEREN'T JUST WAITING AROUND TO BE EATEN! 161; Heavyweight Champions, 166; Why Hermits Seem Odd, 170; We Saw . . . Food. We Came . . . Down from the Trees.We Conquered . . . Gravity, 174; On the Path to Einstein, 180; Daytime Talk Shows, 182

Making a Last Stand: Counterattack and Chutzpah, 186Weapons of Mass Destruction, 189; 9 GENTLE SAVAGE OR BLOODTHIRSTY BRUTE? 191; The Hunting Myth and Sociobiology, 194; Chimpanzee and Human Males as Demonic Killers, 201; Chimpanzee Aggression, 207; Getting Out of Our Genes, 211; The Other 50%, 213; 10 MAN THE HUNTED 219; Sink Your Teeth into This! 226; Painting the Family Portrait, 231; Habitat for Humanity, 235; Macaques Us? 239; Put It All Together and What Do You Have? 242; Man the Hunted, 245; The Oldest Story, 248; 11 THE LAST WORD 251

Carnivore Crimes: More about Bears, Big Cats, and Hyenas, 257Python Pestilence and Eagle Escapades, 262; Man the Cannibal, 265; Cut Marks, Tooth Marks, and Question Marks, 268; Man the Sneaky Meat Thief, 271; Man the Peace-Loving Hippie? 275; Conventional Wisdom as Science, 283; Really Our Last Words, 284; Acknowledgments 287; Notes 289; Bibliography 311; Index 347; About the Authors 359

Sommario/riassunto

A provocative view of human evolution that contends early humans occupied a far more vulnerable position in the food chain than we like to imagine.