On Thu, 28 Feb 2002 07:29:23 -0500 Amadeus Schmidt <[log in to unmask]> writes: Todd wrote: > >No, the optimal foraging rule doesn't assume scarcity. Amadeus wrote: > This is why I think hunting big and dangerous animals like mammoth > cannot be a good strategy as long as other food items were > available. Ardeith writes: Amadeus, the next part of your response mentioned Australian plant foods......I think you guys are talking "apples & oranges" here.......Hunting mammoths and other really big game was necessary in the cold Northern climates......the hides, meat, and fat were vital to the people......they could not have survived the winters on small game. They even built their shelters from bones and tusks. And they certainly couldn't dug tubers from frozen tundra, if there were even tubers to be found there. While we are recognizing different people's needs today, let's remember that different tribes had different needs in the past. Comparing the needs of people in warm climates to the needs of people in cold climates doesn't prove anything. Living on greens, tubers, fruit and nuts might be possible in warm climates, but anyone who tried that in the far North wouldn't be surviving long. Our northern ancestors had to utilize the meat, fat, hide, and bones of big game animals, regardless of the risks. The survival of the family, clan, and tribe depended on such hunting even if individuals lost their lives in the hunt.......... We may not *need* such risky hunting today.... we get our "mammoth steaks" from a grocery store.......but those of us who are descended from those ancient people are primed to thrive on diets heavy in meat and fats. Just as those of us whose ancestors lived in warmer climates may not need such foods......... [log in to unmask] Walk The Path With Practical Feet! ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.