Final answer:
Early humans consistently acquired meat through gathering and hunting. They relied on a variety of food sources depending on their environment and used techniques such as spears, nets, and bone hooks for hunting. Gathering was also crucial, and early humans likely developed tools like digging sticks and stones for breaking open hard shells.
Step-by-step explanation:
Early humans consistently acquired meat through gathering and hunting as their main mode of subsistence. They relied on a variety of food sources depending on their environment. In more lush and warm environments, they had access to edible plants and animals, while in frigid and icy environments, they depended more on animals and fish. They used various techniques for hunting, such as spears, nets, and hooks made of bone. Land animals were either scavenged or hunted, with a focus on smaller animals.
Additionally, gathering was also a crucial means of acquiring food for early humans. Fossil evidence suggests that early hominids had an omnivorous diet, consuming a wide range of foods. They adapted to a diet of gritty foods like nuts, seeds, fruits with tough peels, and plants. Early hominids likely developed tools for gathering, such as digging sticks and stones for breaking open hard shells. They might have also used baby slings made of animal skins to carry infants during gathering expeditions. However, as these tools were made of organic materials, there is no trace of them in the fossil record.
Overall, early humans practiced a strategy known as gathering-hunting, where they relied on available natural resources in their environment. They gathered fruits, nuts, berries, and roots, collected honey, hunted wild animals, and fished. While their diets consisted of a wide variety of foods, the acquisition of meat played an important role in their survival.