Early Humans—Not Climate Change—Decimated
Africa’s Large Carnivores
Africa
once harbored a far greater variety of large carnivores than it does today.
Competition with early humans for access to prey may have brought about their
decline
Autor, A.A Lars Werdelin (October 16, 2013)
Name of the Article: Early Humans— Not Climate Change —
Decimated Africa’s Large Carnivores
Name of Magazine: Scientific American (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=early-humans-not-climate-change-decimated-africas-large-carnivores)
Sunrise on the Serengeti, and
life on the savanna is in full swing. Zebras and wildebeests graze the dewy grass;
elephants and giraffes munch on acacia leaves; and lions and hyenas survey the scene,
looking for their next meal. To visit this place is, in some ways, to see the
world as it looked to our ancestors millions of years ago, long before humans began to
wreak havoc
on the planet—or so the conventional wisdom goes. Indeed, much of eastern Africa is often
thought of as a pristine
ecosystem, largely unchanged by our kind in the more than two million
years since our genus, Homo, arose.
But new research paints a
rather different picture of this supposedly unaltered place. In my studies of
the fossil record of African carnivores, I have found that lions, hyenas and
other large-bodied carnivores that roam eastern Africa today represent only a small fraction of
the diversity this group once had. Intriguingly, the decline of these carnivores began around the
same time that early Homo started eating more meat, thus entering into
competition with the carnivores. The timing of events hints that early humans are to
blame for the extinction of these beasts—starting more than two
million years ago, long before Homo sapiens came on the scene.
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New
words - Essay
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Serengeti: Region
of Africa located in north Tanzania. The article is talking about this place
in the developed of the scientific study.
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Now, to see this place with different animals as
zebras, wildebeests, elephants, giraffes, lions, hyenas etc. and visit this
place is as to see this world as millions of years ago. But this was much
more…
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Wildebeests: A
big African Animal with horns and a long tail that lives in grasslands
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These are some animals that live in Serengeti, but is only one of the
species among miles that existed, but the decline in other diversity groups
began around that early Homo started eating more meat.
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Dewy: Are crops
of water that form on ground during the night.
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This is the aliment of the animals as Wildebeests,
zebras and others that live in Serengeti.
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Survey: Watch
with attention, contemplate.
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This is way as the animals as lion, hyenas survey their next meal. It is
as contemplate how the wildebeests, zebras eat.
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Ancestors: a
person who lived a long time ago and that is related with the people today
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Wreak havoc: Consequence to do destruction and often
uncontrolled way
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There were other diversity of animals long before humans began to wreak
havoc on the planet.
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Wisdom: A ability
to use knowledge and experience in to make good decisions
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The article uses this word for explain that the humans
have destroyed the planet and this theory is said by popular wisdom.
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Indeed: Often used to emphasize. Certainly
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Pristine ecosystem: Is an ecosystem that Remaining in a pure state; uncorrupted by
civilization
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Eastern Africa is considerate a pristine ecosystem in
the more than two million years since our genus, Homo, arose
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Roam: to move
about travel.
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The carnivores that roam eastern Africa today is only one of the species among many that
existed.
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Intriguingly: Mysterious, curious, very interesting
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To blame: Is the responsibility of bad fact or is responsible for something bad
happening
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The early humans are to blame for the extinction of these animal species
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