The impact of humans on wildlife can be assessed through the record of extinctions and the reduction of species, for which testimonies exist in the numerous faunal remains in the archaeological record and in representations of animals in rock art. In most cases hunting was the main cause of the reduction of fauna. In other cases the destruction of vegetation, which acts as habitat for fauna, contributed to the elimination of animals.
Despite the amount of data produced by numerous studies of faunal remains, problems exist for the study of some groups of animals. For example, the reconstruction of bird exploitation is limited due to the lack of bone preservation in the harsh environment of the Near East (Gilbert 1995). In addition, most bird species are migratory, making determinations of geographical extent more difficult.
The list of species that went extinct in pre-agricultural times includes the so-called Pleistocene megafauna such as the Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus), which lived in several regions, and hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), which inhabited the Nile River Valley and the coastal region of the Levant (Gilbert 1995). Among the ungulates commonly exploited by hunters of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition are wild horses (Equus africanus and Equus hemious), wild boar (Sus scrofa), red deer (Dama mesopotamica), ibex ( Capra nubiana), wild goat ( Capra aegragus), and wild sheep (Ovis orientalis), among others (Uerpman 1987).
Those species that survived extinction have been reduced in both numbers and geographic extension. One example is the reduction of the geographical extension of the genus Gazella (gazelle) in most regions of the Middle East. Some species, such as the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) have become extinct (Uerpman 1987). In addition to hunting, the modification of wildlife occurred through domestication, although some domesticated species still have relatives in the wild.
World History
