A comparison of great apes and large social carnivores as models for early hominid behavior

Includes bibliographical references (pages 51-59)The hypothesized ecological and behavioral adaptations of the\ud early hominids of East Africa, in their transition from forest to\ud savanna, are examined, and the following major characteristics are\ud hypothesized: tool manufacture and use, group hunting, omnivorous diet,\ud establishment of a home base, food transport, food sharing, a division\ud of labor, and pair-bonded family units. Because man is a hominoid, behavior\ud of the three living great apes (orangutan, gorilla, and chimpanzee)\ud is examined to determine any similarities based on phylogenetic\ud relationships. It is shown that the orangutan and gorilla exhibit none\ud of the hypothesized characteristics of early hominid behavior, while\ud the chimpanzee displays three definitely (tool manufacture and use,\ud omnivorous diet, and food sharing) and three in rudimentary form\ud (group hunting, food transport, and a division of labor).\ud Since approximately six to eight million years of separate evolution \ud between hominids and the nonhuman primates has occurred, the behavior\ud of three East African social carnivores (lion, hyena, and wild\ud dog) is examined to determine any potential analogies to hypothesized\ud early hominid behavior resulting from similar ecological adaptations.\ud It is argued that the lion and hyena exhibit two (group hunting and\ud establishment of a home base), while the wild dog displays six (group\ud hunting, establishment of a home base, food transport) food sharing, a\ud division of labor, and pair-bonded family units) of the early hominid\ud behavioral characteristics.\ud It is concluded that the chimpanzee and the African wild dog exhibit\ud behavioral characteristics similar to that hypothesized for the\ud early hominids. By combining the behavioral characteristics of these\ud two non-human mammals a comparative model is produced composed of the\ud phylogenetic and ecological foundations of human behavior