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A 1,500-year-old chunk of fossilized human poop found at a former rock shelter in Texas contains evidence of an ancient hunter-gatherer who consumed an entire rattlesnake—including a fang. Archaeologists have never seen anything quite like it.
Back in the late 1960s, archaeologists collected over 1,000 samples of human-produced coprolites, or dried-out poop, at the Conejo Shelter site in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas. A team led by archaeologist Elanor Sonderman from Texas A&M University recently took a new look at this old poop, leading to a rather remarkable discovery.
One of the recovered poop samples contained various traces of vegetation, and even a whole small rodent that was seemingly eaten without cooking. For hunter-gatherers of the Lower Pecos, that’s actually nothing out of the ordinary. But the same coprolite sample also contained traces of an entire rattlesnake, including bits of bones, scales, and even a fang. The authors of the new study believe it to be the first evidence of whole-snake consumption in the fossil record. As the researchers point out in the new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, this unique—and potentially life-threatening—ingestive act was likely done for ceremonial or ritualistic reasons, and not for the nutrition.
gizmodo.com
Back in the late 1960s, archaeologists collected over 1,000 samples of human-produced coprolites, or dried-out poop, at the Conejo Shelter site in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas. A team led by archaeologist Elanor Sonderman from Texas A&M University recently took a new look at this old poop, leading to a rather remarkable discovery.
One of the recovered poop samples contained various traces of vegetation, and even a whole small rodent that was seemingly eaten without cooking. For hunter-gatherers of the Lower Pecos, that’s actually nothing out of the ordinary. But the same coprolite sample also contained traces of an entire rattlesnake, including bits of bones, scales, and even a fang. The authors of the new study believe it to be the first evidence of whole-snake consumption in the fossil record. As the researchers point out in the new study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, this unique—and potentially life-threatening—ingestive act was likely done for ceremonial or ritualistic reasons, and not for the nutrition.
Fossilized Human Poop Shows Ancient Forager Ate an Entire Rattlesnake—Fang Included
A 1,500-year-old chunk of fossilized human poop found at a former rock shelter in Texas contains evidence of an ancient hunter-gatherer who consumed an entire rattlesnake—including a fang. Archaeologists have never seen anything quite like it.
gizmodo.com
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