20 Ways Prehistoric Men Survived in a World Full of Monsters

One might imagine that hunters in ancient times were constantly hurling their weapons through the air. But throwing a stick at a charging mastodon would have served only to enrage it. Instead, humans, full of ingenuity, learned to drive the base of a heavy wooden spear tipped with a stone point firmly into the ground at an upward angle.

The fact that humans have millions of sweat glands is, in a way, evolution’s best-kept secret. So even though you’ll probably never outrun a woolly rhinoceros, if you keep up with it long enough, you’ll eventually catch it off guard. In the long run, megafauna simply can’t compete with our ability to cool ourselves down.

Charging head-on at a herd of giant bison is the surest way to get gored. So it’s better to drive the herd off a cliff. Prehistoric humans knew exactly how to provoke stampedes using noise and fire. They would then wait for the animals at the front of the herd to plunge off the ledges.

Before the invention of the bow and arrow as we know them today, the early days of ballistics reached a major milestone with the creation of the javelin launcher. This simple device consisted of a carved wooden handle that served as an extension of the arm, allowing the javelin to be thrown with incredible force and speed.

Digging deep holes took a tremendous amount of time and energy for humans. But if the entire tribe worked together to dig a huge pit, it was possible to trap absolutely anything in it. Giant ground sloths weren’t fast enough to escape these carefully concealed traps.

You don’t need to hunt to feed yourself; sometimes, you can let the saber-toothed tigers do all the work for you. The wisest humans would lie in wait, watching for the moment when the predators caught prey they could tear apart. Once the predators had finished eating, the humans would gather up the leftovers.

Venturing alone into prehistoric wilderness was practically the same as risking becoming prey to a cave lion. Because of this extreme vulnerability, our ancestors lived strictly within highly organized and close-knit tribal groups that moved together across the land. A massive predator might have viewed an isolated human as an easy meal, but coming face-to-face with about twenty screaming adults brandishing sharp sticks was a whole different story.

There are few things more terrifying at night than knowing that a pack of wolves is lurking somewhere nearby. Fortunately, early humans befriended these ominous creatures and have enjoyed their company ever since. Wolves had a highly developed sense of smell and hearing. In exchange, these wolf cubs were given food and shelter.

Knowing how to blend in perfectly with one’s surroundings was an impressive skill when it came to sneaking up on prey. Smearing oneself with mud made one smell less like a human, and wearing animal skins made one look less like a human. If a tiger can neither see nor smell you, you stand a good chance.

Nature provided a vast storehouse of deadly chemicals—provided one knew exactly which plants and insects to gather. Early hunters would boil certain roots or extract venom from poisonous frogs to coat the tips of their stone arrows. Even a minor scratch from a poisoned weapon could slow down a massive beast.

Large land mammals are often particularly vulnerable when wading through thick mud or crossing a fast-flowing river. Groups of prehistoric hunters would camp patiently near frequently visited watering holes, waiting for a massive mammoth to become partially bogged down in the thick mud along the banks. The water significantly limited the animal’s ability to turn around or defend its flanks.

Prehistoric humans did not travel aimlessly, without knowing where they were going. They knew where the large herds of land animals were at certain times of the year and planned their migrations accordingly.

These days, it takes a collective effort to take down a giant bear, and that was already the case back then. Distracting the bear while his teammates attacked it from behind was just one of the methods used by prehistoric humans to avoid ending up as a snack.

Yes, people in ancient times also wore armor. They made vests out of thick leather, animal hides, and woven grass to protect themselves from attacks. Like all armor, these weren’t 100% effective, but they were enough to keep you alive in a fight.

Survival often depended on the ability to convey information to fellow hunters without scaring off the prey. So how did prehistoric humans warn each other of predators hiding in the grass? By imitating birdsong.

No one wants to waste food. So when you hunt a woolly mammoth, you find a way to preserve all that meat and fat so your tribe won’t go hungry. Without refrigeration, ice pits and smokehouses were pretty much the best solution hunters had.

When it came to finding a permanent place to start a family, elevation was a top priority for the earliest settlers. Choosing caves or rock shelters located high up on steep cliffs made it virtually impossible for large, heavy predators to climb up to them and take the inhabitants by surprise. These elevated dwellings also offered an incredible panoramic view of the valley below, allowing the tribe to spot approaching threats.

As soon as you felt threatened by a nearby predator, all you had to do was attract its attention and scare it off. Prehistoric humans were experts at making loud, unusual noises that big cats didn’t much care for. Flooding a predator’s ears with an avalanche of sounds often caused it to turn and run away.

To avoid predatory animals, it was often enough simply to know where they lived. Prehistoric humans had very detailed mental maps of the places where predators liked to nest. Respecting these natural boundaries and staying away from predators’ nesting areas was, ultimately, the simplest way to stay alive.