Persistence hunting facts for kids

Persistence hunting is a special way of hunting where people chase animals for a very long time. They keep going until the animals get too tired to run anymore. Even though many animals are faster than humans, people can run for much longer distances. This hunting method was very important for early humans. Today, groups like the San people in Africa and the Rarámari people in northwest Mexico still use it.

Humans are good at persistence hunting because they have amazing endurance. They can jog or trot for very long distances. Also, humans have less body hair than many animals. This allows them to sweat easily and cool down their bodies. At the end of the hunt, hunters use spears to catch their prey.

How Persistence Hunting Works

A small group of hunters, usually about four men, starts looking for an animal. They often look for an antelope. When they find one, they move towards it, and the animal runs away.

Following the Animal

The hunters then follow the animal. They look for signs like broken grass blades to see where it went. They follow it slowly but steadily. The animal eventually has to stop to eat grass. Grass does not have many nutrients, so animals need to eat it almost all day to survive.

If the antelope runs very far away, one of the younger hunters might run ahead to find it. The others will jog along behind. The runner comes back to tell the group where the animal went. This way, younger hunters use their speed and older hunters use their experience. Eventually, the hunters catch up. The animal cannot run any further without eating more grass, which is like its fuel.

Why Animals Get Tired

One reason animals stop running is that they cannot cool down as well as humans. Their thick fur coats make it harder for them to sweat and release heat. This can make them very hot and tired.

However, the main reason animals get tired is something called 'metabolic fatigue'. This means their muscles run out of fuel. They simply cannot keep going.

Persistence Hunting in Media

The San people and their hunting methods were shown on television. David Attenborough presented them in his documentary series The Life of Mammals. This was in the episode called "Food for thought." You can watch parts of it online here.

Images for kids

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  African wild dogs run down their prey over long distances at moderate speed.

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  Timelapse of endurance hunting.

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  Hunter-gatherers, including the San today, use persistence hunting to catch prey faster than themselves.

See also

In Spanish: Caza por persistencia para niños