Human spear points shrank as prey species successively dwindled in size

Evidence

The earliest North American points (Clovis points) reach 8 inches in length but were typically closer to 3 inches, and were consistently found alongside mammoth bones. Indeed, the Columbian mammoth appears to have been the primary prey species for North American hunters until approximately twelve thousand years ago, when mammoth populations crashed and hunters began to shift their efforts to the giant, and also now-extinct, Bison antiquus. These ancient bison were six times smaller than mammoths (only three thousand pounds, on average, instead of eighteen thousand pounds), and the early hunters’ appetite for them was associated with a steady reduction in spear and point sizes (Clovis points associated with B. antiquus averaged about 2 inches in length, and later Folsom points associated with this same bison species averaged 1.5 inches). When this species, too, disappeared, hunters tracked still smaller prey types, including modern bison (Bison bison), as well as bighorn sheep, deer, elk, and antelope, and point sizes shrunk accordingly. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 103

Categorization

• QUESTION: Could extinction of megafauna have been accelerated by human hunting pressure itself, creating a feedback where shrinking prey drove shrinking weapons?
• XREF: Direct parallel to how carnivore tooth size tracks prey size in the animal weapons framework. — connects to: Weapons shrink when predator pressure falls and armor gets costly. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 56; Early human weapon points shrank rather than grew over time — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 102; Human spear-point size is constrained by shaft balance and penetration requirements — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 100 (+1 more)

Related

• Early human weapon points shrank rather than grew over time (similarity 0.90)
• Human spear-point size is constrained by shaft balance and penetration requirements (similarity 0.88)
• Predator weapons stay small because larger ones hinder hunting (similarity 0.83)
• Loss of pursuit hunting drives evolution toward heavier jaws and teeth (similarity 0.82)
• Better propulsion technology permitted smaller, deadlier human weapons (similarity 0.81)
• Weapons shrink when predator pressure falls and armor gets costly. (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Early human weapon points shrank rather than grew over time #corroborates (0.85) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 102
• Human spear-point size is constrained by shaft balance and penetration requirements #qualifies (0.45) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 100
• Loss of pursuit hunting drives evolution toward heavier jaws and teeth #expands (0.40) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 112