Hunter-Gatherers Butchered an Extinct Elephant at This Ancient Campsite

Hunter-gatherers likely used Tagua Tagua Lake as a seasonal stop, watering hole 12,000 years ago.

By Paul Smaglik
May 23, 2024 9:00 PMMay 23, 2024 8:50 PM
Composite image showing various fossils excavated at Tagua Tagua Lake in Chile, including close-up views of skeletal remains and stone artifacts, each marked with measurement scales and identifiers
Fossils from Tagua Tagua Lake in Chile (Credit: Labaraca et al)

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A new snapshot of a camp on a central Chile lake reveals a picture of a band of hunter-gatherers who paused to butcher, then feast upon, an extinct relative of the elephant about 12,450 years ago.

The narrative the archeologists are trying to construct based on artifacts found there includes seasonal stops at Tagua Tagua Lake and the periodic banding together of multiple groups, according to a study in PLOS ONE.

A Band of Hunter-Gatherers

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