While the slimy critters may not be everyone ’s cupful of tea , snails occupy the fancy of humans living in Spain some 30,000 years ago , a new study has found .
investigator have bed for some time that humans have been crunch on gastropods ( snails and sluggard ) for thousands of year , but when we start out indulging on these mollusk has been a mystery .
“ Even though ground snail are very present in paleolithic sites , the interpretation of snails as a solid food resource is very complicated , ” lead author Javier Fernández - López de Pablo toldLive Science . That ’s because snail shell around ancient human stiff could be the upshot of thirsty birds , rather than oddment of our diet . Furthermore , these brute are ubiquitous and hold up in the dirt , so rule their remains is barely surprising . However , this archeological web site had various revealing signs that mankind were indeed cooking up these grub .
The breakthrough was made by archeologists excavate a site in Cova de la Barriada ( Benidorm ) , Spain . As described inPLOS ONE , they find saturated amounts of land snail ( Iberus alonensis ) shells alongside gemstone tools , fireplaces and other animal remains . After analyzing the shells , which were fire , the researchers learn that the snail were rib for a protract menstruum in gold of pine tree and juniper , delicious . Furthermore , the 112 escargot samples were comparatively turgid and about the same sizing , indicate that the humans were picky about the snail they chose to eat .
By comparing the remains with modern specimen , the investigator were capable to forecast that the snails were all over 1 year old . allot to the team , thissuggeststhat the man may have had some knowledge of the snails ’ procreative cycle and were ware these animals sustainably to preserve the species .
The research worker are n’t sure why humans started eating snail at this time , but it appears to coincide with a menses when populations in Iberia were undergoing various transformations and beganexperimenting with art . It ’s therefore likely that this is another instance of humans experimenting as societies began to exchange . choose for this scheme of diet diversification would have also ease universe growth , Fernández said .
[ ViaLive ScienceandBBC News ]
[ Header image " Big Snail in Point Reyes , " By Natalie McNear , via Flickr , used in conformity with CC BY - NC 2.0 ]
