The Lawrence Jacobsen Library
Books Received (Primate-Science/PrimateLit)

Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales

MAN THE HUNTED: PRIMATES, PREDATORS AND HUMAN EVOLUTION


By Donna Hart and Robert W. Sussman


Westview Press, 2005


FROM THE INSIDE COVER


Man the Hunted argues that primates, including the earliest members of the 
human family, have evolved as the prey of any number of predators, including 
wild cats and dogs, hyenas, snakes, crocodiles, and even birds. The authors' 
own studies of predators on monkeys and apes are supplemented here with the 
observations of naturalists in the field, and with revealing interpretations 
of the fossil record. Eyewitness accounts of the "man the hunted" drama 
being played out even now give vivid evidence of its prehistoric 
significance.


This provocative view of human evolution suggests that the countless 
adaptations, from larger brains to speech, that have allowed our species to 
survive stem from a considerably more vulnerable position on the food chain 
than we might like to imagine. The myth of early humans as fearless hunters 
dominating the earth obscures our origins as just one of many species that 
had to be cautious, had to depend on other group members, had to communicate 
danger, and had to come to terms with being merely one cog in the complex 
cycle of life.


Skillfully analyzing diverse evidence, Man the Hunted casts an entirely new 
light on the natural history of primates and the evolution of modern humans.


DONNA HART is a longtime professional in wildlife conservation and is 
currently on the faculty of the Honors College and Department of 
Anthropology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.


ROBERT W. SUSSMAN is professor of physical anthropology at Washington 
University (St. Louis), editor emeritus of American Anthropologist, and 
author of many scientific articles and books on anthropology and 
primatology.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


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, 46


Predation 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! 127


On 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, 186


Weapons 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 R Us? 239


Put It All Together and What Do You Have? 242


Man the Hunted, 245


The Oldest Story, 248


Acknowledgments


Notes


Bibliography


Index


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ISBN 0-8133-3936-7


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