Check out this video clip. The endurance these hunters show is simply incredible. I never realized that a human could have more endurance than an animal like that.
That was amazing! Great vid. It's crazy when you think he has to chase that animal down for 8 hours, nearly passing out himself, and I just take a 10 minute drive to the supermarket to get some steak, yet I still envy him.
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It is simply amazing what the human body is capable of when it comes to survival. When look at this and also some of the comments on people who do manual labor for a living on the "Strongest Guys that didn't lift" thread, it is interesting to see how, for many of us, technology has made our lives much easier and more convenient, but also prevented us from reaching our maximum potential.
Wow - that was a really great video! Amazing, the potential we have in our bodies.
for later
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Very cool, intresting to see a natural running stride and foot strike.
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They probably do Crossfit.
Haa..haa...That was funny. :)
Actually, I just thought that what is more insane is that after chasing that animal for 8 hours, those guys have to drag that huge thing back to their village. I wonder how many miles away that village is.
That's a pretty inefficient way to hunt. It would make more sense to have the runner chase the animals towards pit traps or other hunters.
It's a known fact that humans are one of the best endurance athletes of the animal kingdom. Over long distances only a handful of animals can outpace us, even though most of them can do us in a sprint.
Great video i have to say. Though i did feel kinda sorry for the antelope thingy at the end. :(
good stuff
talk about a war of attrition! i also love how the hunter pays respect for the animal, felt it's pain, and how thankful he was for the animal to sustain te hunter's life. if i ran down something like that for 8 hours id be emotional also!
Bolo,
You said: It is simply amazing what the human body is capable of when it comes to survival. When look at this and also some of the comments on people who do manual labor for a living on the "Strongest Guys that didn't lift" thread, it is interesting to see how, for many of us, technology has made our lives much easier and more convenient, but also prevented us from reaching our maximum potential.
I agree totally. The human body is "fearfully and wonderfully" made and many people don't take advantage of its potential.
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I'd like to see what the average early homo sapien looked like. They were the same species as us, but their bones show that they were much more robust and much more muscular naturally. As a species, we've become more gracile.
"What happens if the tribe doesn't have that genetically gifted one who can chase down prey for 8 hours? Do they starve? Find a more intelligent solution?"
Humans hunted in packs, I think this guy was just showing off for the anthropologist.
[edit: the gift we have over animals isn't being able to run longer, but rather that we're able to look at tracks and figure out where the animal went. Our intelligence is our greatest asset, and hunting in packs, using traps, etc is certainly smarter than turning every hunt into an ultramarathon]
Other animals can track, too.
An important part is to keep chasing after the same animal. Herd animals will attempt to confuse the hunters by swapping out runners, and this will let them get away if you can't isolate an individual animal.
Amazing to see, there was a story on the radio program "This American Life" about a man who did it in the western US, the name of the show is "running after antelope," if you want to google it.