Giant birds of prey hunted human ancestors and may have shaped our evolution

Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.

Large birds of prey may have been one of the forces that shaped human evolution, according to experts interviewed by BBC News Mundo. One piece of evidence is the so-called 'Taung child', an Australopithecus africanus about 3 years old that lived 2.8 million years ago on the South African savanna and whose skull has punctures beneath the eye sockets consistent with eagle talons.

Primatologist Scott McGraw, of Ohio State University, examined the remains of more than 600 present-day primates killed by birds of prey, including the African crowned eagle, in the Taï forest in Ivory Coast. He found damage to the floor of the eye socket identical to that on the fossil and argues that predation by these birds may have been one of the main selective pressures in primate evolution.

For archaeologist James Cole, of the University of Brighton in the UK, there is no doubt that the first humans were prey. He says group size became very important, and the BBC notes that larger groups allow several individuals to watch for surprise attacks. For Cole, the growth of groups may also have contributed to the emergence of language. McGraw notes that many primates give specific alarm calls for birds of prey, which could be a precursor of speech.

The report also mentions teratorns, carnivorous birds with wingspans of up to 6 meters that coexisted with the first inhabitants of the Americas and went extinct about 10,000 years ago. For Joanne Cooper, of the Natural History Museum in London, they may have inspired the Thunderbird legend of Native North American peoples.

In New Zealand, the extinct Haast's eagle, which hunted moas up to 4 meters tall with 10-centimeter talons, may lie behind the Māori legend of a giant bird that snatched children. Giant predatory birds dominated the skies for about 50 million years.