Jeremy Koster: University of Cincinnati, Ohio

Humans are distinguished from other hominoids by several life history traits, including prolonged childhoods, relatively brief inter-birth intervals, and extend post-reproductive lifespans. To explain the evolution of these traits, anthropologists have hypothesized that the cognitive demands of hunting necessitate extensive learning, which promotes late maturation and inter-generational food sharing. In this analysis, my colleagues and I evaluate a key component of this conceptual model, namely that advanced hunting skill is particularly evident among middle-aged hunters. We compile data on subsistence hunting from 40 sites around the world in a sample that includes over 23,000 hunting records from approximately 1,800 individual hunters. We use multilevel modeling and a life history model to estimate the latent skill of hunters as a function of their age. On average, hunters reach their peak at approximately 31 years old. The peak is not pronounced, however, and there is cross-cultural variation in age-related skill that challenges earlier findings. These results accentuate the need for additional longitudinal data on foraging activities as a counterpoint to theoretical models of life history evolution.