The Dragon Bone Cave in China is the site where bones of Homo erectus, our predecessor, have been discovered. While the bones suggested cannibalism, researchers found that the marks were made by the giant short-faced hyena, which was a predator throughout the region 400,000 years ago.
Hyenas were capable of consuming bones whole, and their waste was full of excess calcium. This pattern is seen across Eurasia, where caves were more likely to echo with the cackles of hyenas than the laughter of hominins. Our ancestors were just as likely to be prey as predators. Humans tend to sit at the top of the food chain as apex predators, but history and prehistory show that our roles can be reversed.
This is exemplified by the story of John Wade, a young boy who survived a tiger attack in London 150 years ago. Our sense of mastery over the world can cause us to lose our sense of danger and forget that we are part of the food chain.
