Anthro-Animal: the Enduring Fascination with Animals in Human Evolution

Anthro-Animal: the Enduring Fascination with Animals in Human Evolution

Working at a zoo, I have the pleasure of interacting with various primate species, and giving public talks on the intricacies of human and primate evolution. But what I've come to realize is that this is just one facet of the complex relationship between humans and animals. Our evolutionary journey has been intertwined with countless animal species, including those to which we are not closely related. Domestication of animals, for example, allowed early human pastoralists to transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more settled, agricultural way of life.

While primates have only recently served a practical purpose to humans, it's fascinating to think about how our fascination with animals has endured over time. Cave art, dating back tens of thousands of years, depicts animals that were both revered and hunted. (It is possible that some humanoid drawings could be depicting other primates. But it does seem as though we were most fascinated, and gave most importance to the mega-fauna of the time.)

Exploring the nuances of our relationship with animals can reveal profound insights about our evolution, as well as inspire a greater appreciation for the animal kingdom.

I have been exploring new ways to engage the dialogue around human evolution in other areas of the Zoo, beyond the primates. This has led me to thinking a lot about cave drawings. Exploring the nuances of our relationship with animals can reveal profound insights about our evolution, as well as inspire a greater appreciation for the animal kingdom.

Animals played a crucial role in our evolution and cultural development. Evidenced by ancient cave paintings discovered around the world dating back to between 43,000 and 65,000 years ago (the Paleolithic era). These drawings depicted various animal species (often the large, mega-fauna of the time) and provide us with insight into the role they played in our survival and development.

The presence of animal images in cave paintings reinforce the fact that animals were always an integral part of human life - providing food, clothing, shelter, and myriad other resources necessary for humans to survive and thrive.

The paintings also show that even ancient humans had a deep and intimate knowledge of animal behavior and anatomy and developed hunting strategies to capture and kill them.

As societies and cultures developed, animals continued to be an integral part of human life. They were used as symbols of power, revered in religious and mythological contexts, and hunted for sport or subsistence.

In ancient Egypt, for example, animals such as cats, crocodiles, and bulls were worshipped as gods. In other cultures, animals were seen as evil or dangerous and were hunted or avoided.

Today, our fascination with animals is evident in our media and entertainment. We create movies, TVshows, books, social media content, etc. - all centered around animals; we visit zoos and wildlife sanctuaries to observe and learn about them.

The continued fascination with animals is a testament to their importance in our evolution and earliest forms of culture. Thus, by studying animal behavior and ecology, we can gain valuable insights into our own evolution and development

Those cave paintings serve us as a reminder of this eternal fact: the importance of animals to humans and the critical role they play, and have always played, in our survival.

Some of the most famous cave paintings are from the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, Lascaux, and Altamira caves and apparently date back to the Upper Paleolithic period. During this epoch the earth was experiencing a stable and warm climate, with large herbivorous mammals such as mammoths, bison, and horses roaming the plains.

Humans were primarily hunter-gatherers and relied on these animals for food, clothing, and shelter.

The Mesolithic period marked a transition from the hunting and gathering lifestyle to a more settled way of life, with the development of agriculture and the domestication of animals. This period saw the emergence of the first human civilizations, with the rise of farming communities and the development of writing and complex societies.

In the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods, the climate continued to change, with glaciers receding and sea levels rising. Humans adapted to these changes, developing new technologies and ways of life to survive in their changing environment.

Today we live in the era called the Anthropocene, an epoch characterized by the significant impact humans have had on the planet's geology, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Our evidence of evolution for geologists 10,000 years from now will be far more extensive then primitive cave paintings...

Timeline of famous cave paintings

• Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave (Ardèche, France) - 32,000 years ago (Upper Paleolithic period)?features horses, lions, bears, mammoths, as well as human handprints and abstract symbols
• Lascaux Cave (Dordogne, France) - 17,000 years ago (Upper Paleolithic period) contains over 600 painted and drawn animals: horses, bulls, deer, bears, as well as abstract symbols and human figures
• Bhimbetka rock shelters (Madhya Pradesh, India) - 30,000 to 10,000 years ago (Upper Paleolithic to Mesolithic periods) variety of animals, including tigers, rhinoceroses, and elephants, as well as hunting scenes and human figures
• Cueva de las Manos (Santa Cruz, Argentina) - 13,000 to 9,000 years ago (Late Pleistocene to Holocene periods) he cave contains numerous handprints, as well as paintings of animals such as guanacos, rheas, and pumas.
• Tassili n'Ajjer cave (Algeria) - 10,000 to 8,000 years ago (Upper Paleolithic to Mesolithic periods) depicts elephants, giraffes, ostriches, antelopes, and notably, human figures engaged in hunting and other activities in vivid colors with intricate details

Geological/Ecological periods:

• Upper Paleolithic: 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 BCE - Stable, warm climate with grasslands, forests, and large mammals; humans hunted and relied on animals for survival.
• Mesolithic: 10,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE - Transition to settled life with agriculture and domestication of animals; rise of civilizations and complex societies.
• Late Pleistocene/Holocene: Continued warming climate with changing landscapes and rising sea levels; humans adapted with new technologies and ways of life.
• Anthropocene: Current geological era characterized by significant human impact on the environment and climate.

Overall, the cave paintings provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives of our ancient ancestors and the animals they coexisted with. With important insights into our evolutionary history and the ways in which we have adapted and evolved to thrive in our changing world.

Early humans learned to coexist with the animals which they depicted in their cave wall representations; modern zoos promote a sense of understanding and respect for the animals in their care.

In turn, the animals existence within zoos provide invaluable insights into their behavior and ecology, expanding our collective knowledge while further developing our appreciation of the natural world.

As such, modern zoos reflect the human desire for connection and awe-inspiring experiences - just as the cave paintings served as a way to connect with and appreciate the animals around them, zoos provide people with the opportunity to see and learn about animals up close, creating a sense of wonder and appreciation for the world, leading to a greater desire to protect and preserve it.

From this perspective, I cannot help but view zoos as an evolved version, and natural progression, of our primitive cave paintings.

Both mediums seem to serve the fundamental purpose of encouraging coexistence and mutual benefit, and both, no doubt, reflect the human desire for connection and our reverence for the world around us.

Sources of inspiration: