Dan Flores

In some American archaeological sites, animal remains show a significant decline over time. The massive Emeryville Mound site on the shore of San Francisco Bay portrays a steady decline in the bones of sturgeon, salmon, deer, elk, and pronghorns, demonstrating a drawdown of local wildlife as human populations grew in native California.

In some American archaeological sites, animal remains show a significant decline over time. The massive Emeryville Mound site on the shore of San Francisco Bay portrays a steady decline in the bones of sturgeon, salmon, deer, elk, and pronghorns, demonstrating a drawdown of local wildlife as human populations grew in native California.

Elk remains in many continental archaeological sites are so scarce that some scientists suggest that elk numbers must have been suppressed, and the almost certain cause was human hunting. There was also at least one human-caused wildlife extinction in Native America.

Elk remains in many continental archaeological sites are so scarce that some scientists suggest that elk numbers must have been suppressed, and the almost certain cause was human hunting. There was also at least one human-caused wildlife extinction in Native America.

Elk remains in many continental archaeological sites are so scarce that some scientists suggest that elk numbers must have been suppressed, and the almost certain cause was human hunting. There was also at least one human-caused wildlife extinction in Native America.

As humans spread around the world, flightless birds were always particularly vulnerable, and the Pacific coasts of California and Oregon, along with the Channel Islands, held one, a flightless sea duck in the genus Chindyte.

As humans spread around the world, flightless birds were always particularly vulnerable, and the Pacific coasts of California and Oregon, along with the Channel Islands, held one, a flightless sea duck in the genus Chindyte.

As humans spread around the world, flightless birds were always particularly vulnerable, and the Pacific coasts of California and Oregon, along with the Channel Islands, held one, a flightless sea duck in the genus Chindyte.

In the past decade, researchers dating the remains of these goose-sized ducks from six coastal sites concluded that humans began killing them 10,000 years ago, just as the Pleistocene gave way to Native America.

In the past decade, researchers dating the remains of these goose-sized ducks from six coastal sites concluded that humans began killing them 10,000 years ago, just as the Pleistocene gave way to Native America.

In the past decade, researchers dating the remains of these goose-sized ducks from six coastal sites concluded that humans began killing them 10,000 years ago, just as the Pleistocene gave way to Native America.

Wiping them out was hardly the three-century blitzkriegs that took out mammoths, or later, passenger pigeons or bison, but by 2400 years ago, people had hunted Pacific flightless sea ducks to extinction. Judging from the stories people preserved of their cultural heroes, the most common environmental overreach, though, was what the Inuit Raven story feared.

Wiping them out was hardly the three-century blitzkriegs that took out mammoths, or later, passenger pigeons or bison, but by 2400 years ago, people had hunted Pacific flightless sea ducks to extinction. Judging from the stories people preserved of their cultural heroes, the most common environmental overreach, though, was what the Inuit Raven story feared.

Wiping them out was hardly the three-century blitzkriegs that took out mammoths, or later, passenger pigeons or bison, but by 2400 years ago, people had hunted Pacific flightless sea ducks to extinction. Judging from the stories people preserved of their cultural heroes, the most common environmental overreach, though, was what the Inuit Raven story feared.

Overhunting brought on by growing human numbers. Coyotes and Ravens America existed for 75 times longer than the United States has so far. So it shouldn't be a surprise that a history reaching beyond human memory would provoke a religious awe from its human inhabitants. Native America's cultural heroes taught that the key to the animal-human relationship was kinship. Animals were people.

Overhunting brought on by growing human numbers. Coyotes and Ravens America existed for 75 times longer than the United States has so far. So it shouldn't be a surprise that a history reaching beyond human memory would provoke a religious awe from its human inhabitants. Native America's cultural heroes taught that the key to the animal-human relationship was kinship. Animals were people.

Overhunting brought on by growing human numbers. Coyotes and Ravens America existed for 75 times longer than the United States has so far. So it shouldn't be a surprise that a history reaching beyond human memory would provoke a religious awe from its human inhabitants. Native America's cultural heroes taught that the key to the animal-human relationship was kinship. Animals were people.

They had families and societies, opinions and cultural memories. Like people, they also possessed something essential to them, a breath or a spirit that survived death. Respect came from honoring that humans and animals were kin and acknowledging that we and they could move between one another's cultures because we sprang from the same source.

They had families and societies, opinions and cultural memories. Like people, they also possessed something essential to them, a breath or a spirit that survived death. Respect came from honoring that humans and animals were kin and acknowledging that we and they could move between one another's cultures because we sprang from the same source.

They had families and societies, opinions and cultural memories. Like people, they also possessed something essential to them, a breath or a spirit that survived death. Respect came from honoring that humans and animals were kin and acknowledging that we and they could move between one another's cultures because we sprang from the same source.