First humans in South America survived by eating giant armadillos
The story of early human migration into South America has stirred debate. Researchers have long argued about when these first travelers arrived, how they adapted, and which paths they followed.
Evidence has surfaced in many forms, from stone tools and butchered bone fragments to entire campfire sites once littered with animal remains.
Although these clues have fueled lively conversations, scholars have faced frustrations when old assumptions were challenged and new findings seemed sparse.
Humans in the Pampas
The Pampas, known for its expansive plains and iconic landscapes, saw much of its early buzz dwindle in the mid-1900s. Yet the puzzle of who first roamed there has never truly gone away.
Now, according to research by Mariano Del Papa of National University of La Plata, Argentina and colleagues, modern technology and updated theories are breathing fresh life into these investigations.
Refined carbon dating, advances in ancient DNA methods, and broader approaches to human-environment interactions have sparked new interest in how and when humans walked across these southern lands.
Animal bones and cut marks
Scientists have long wondered if humans and extinct giant animals, sometimes called megafauna, overlapped in time or even shared close encounters. The debate has centered on physical associations and behavioral associations.
The former refers to animal bones and tools found in direct contact, while the latter involves traces of human activity on the bones themselves.
Cut marks are among the strongest signs of human interaction, yet they require careful analysis to rule out accidental scratches, weathering, or other natural wear.
In the Pampas, confident identification of these marks has been sporadic, with just a handful of sites showing possible evidence of early humans and large mammals coexisting.
Many previous finds lacked direct proof of who caused the damage or how these animals ended up with unusual grooves.
The Reconquista River discovery
One significant lead emerged along the Reconquista River in northern Buenos Aires, where researchers uncovered the fossilized remains of an extinct armored animal called Neosclerocalyptus, which resembled giant armadillos.
Scientists inspected the shell and tail bones, seeking patterns that might confirm human involvement.
Radiocarbon dating placed these remains at around 21,000 years old, suggesting human presence in this area well ahead of many earlier estimates.
Further microscopic analysis revealed cut marks on parts of the pelvis, tail, and body armor. Statistical work compared these traces with known examples from butchered remains.
The marks aligned with what stone tools commonly produce, and their location matched spots where hunters might have targeted meat-rich areas.
Neosclerocalyptus – giant armadillos
Neosclerocalyptus was one of those prehistoric oddballs you wouldn’t want to bump into on a walk through ancient South America.
It looked kind of like an armadillo on steroids – covered in a thick, bumpy shell and sporting a short, stubby snout.
This guy belonged to the glyptodont family, which were basically giant armored mammals related to modern armadillos.
Neosclerocalyptus roamed the open plains during the Pleistocene epoch, which means it shared the landscape with saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and early humans. It wasn’t exactly speedy, but its tank-like body made up for it in defense.
Timeline of humans in South America
The dating results place this evidence roughly 6,000 years before most recognized archaeological sites in southern South America.
Researchers note that a small but growing body of recent findings across the Americas indicates humans may have been around even earlier than 20,000 years ago.
These outcomes resonate with discoveries elsewhere suggesting that people reached the continent sooner than older textbooks stated.
While the giant armadillo discovery in northeastern Argentina stands out, it parallels similar points of interest in other regions.
Scientists working elsewhere have seen indications of human activity dating beyond the once-accepted timeline of 13,000 to 16,000 years ago.
These glimpses could fill voids in the historical record, showing that different groups explored diverse landscapes, from coastal zones to inland stretches.
Clear behavioral associations remain challenging to confirm. Bones alone can be scattered by rivers or shifting sediments, and random fractures sometimes mimic cut marks.
In this case, careful examination of the site’s layers helped rule out normal taphonomic processes.
What happens next?
Investigations like this may steer attention to under-sampled areas where layers from the Last Glacial Maximum remain intact.
If additional fossils with similar markings appear nearby, the evidence for a broader human footprint dating back more than 20,000 years will become tougher to dispute.
Radiocarbon dating and ancient DNA techniques could then piece together the connections between these early populations and later groups spread across South America.
Experts agree that ongoing exploration is essential. Early settlement patterns in the Pampas might reflect unique strategies for finding resources and adapting to shifting climates.
Humans, South America, and giant armadillos
From a set of fossils on the Reconquista River to the possibility of unearthing more traces in the surrounding region, every fresh clue adds depth to an ancient tale.
These findings echo other recent data suggesting humans reached the Americas well before longstanding theories indicated.
The weight of this evidence challenges traditional timelines and inspires experts to reexamine historical assumptions.
For now, this glyptodont discovery seems to indicate that South America’s early human narrative might stretch back further than once believed.
The full study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
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