Humans arrived in the Kaliko Islands about 7,000 years ago, and within 3,000 years most of the large mammal species that had lived in the forests of the Kaliko Islands were extinct. Previous archaeological findings have suggested that early humans generally relied on both fishing and hunting for food; since archaeologists have discovered numerous sites in the Kaliko Islands where the bones of fish were discarded, it is likely that the humans also hunted the mammals. Furthermore, researchers have uncovered simple tools, such as stone knives, that could be used for hunting. The only clear explanation is that humans caused the extinction of the various mammal species through excessive hunting.
Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
The speaker concludes that early humans in the Kaliko Islands hunted large mammals, killing off the many species of animals and leading to their extinction. While there is more than enough evidence to establish that human hunters did eventually lead to the extinction of these large mammals, the problem is that all evidence points to humans being the last, if not the only, cause of the extinctions of these animals. Evidence suggests that humans killed off large mammals long before there was any evidence that humans were hunting them. The Kaliko Islands were first inhabited by humans around 7,000 years ago, yet the last species of large mammal that lived on the islands died out about 3,000 years ago. This timeframe is significant, as it shows that humans were not necessarily the ‘chief’ cause of the loss of these large mammals.
In fact, there are numerous reasons why humans did not kill the large animals in the Kaliko Islands. Humans did not arrive on the islands until very recently, and at that time the ecosystem was very different. In most places around the world, large mammals are apex predators, meaning that they kill other animals for food. Such animals include lions, wolves, and tigers, and humans did not live in the Kaliko Islands until very recently. Since humans did not arrive on the islands until very recently, the ecosystem was very different from what it is today. Large mammals, such as bears, wolves, and mammoths, would not have lasted long in the Kaliko Islands. While humans may not have directly caused the extinction of these species, they may have indirectly contributed to their demise by over-hunting them. Humans have played an important role in ecological systems throughout the world, and such role was much less significant in the Kaliko Islands, where humans were so few in number. Furthermore, the Kaliko Islands were not heavily populated; they were occupied by only a few small settlements. While hunting may have been an important food source for the early settlers, it would have been insufficient to support the entire population. Therefore, it is more reasonable to assume that humans did not kill the large mammals in the Kaliko Islands, but rather that they were killed by natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions or landslides.
Furthermore, the speaker asserts that early humans in the Kaliko Islands hunted large animals. The evidence for his assertion is little more than an assumption. While it is possible that humans killed some of the large animals in the islands, there is no evidence that humans were the primary hunters. Humans arrived in the Kaliko Islands no earlier than 7,000 years ago, and at this time, there were many different hunter-gather groups inhabiting the islands. There would have been intense competition for food sources, and individuals would have competed with each other for prime hunting areas. In such a situation, it is unlikely that early humans would have killed any of the large animals. Another scenario is that early humans simply drove off the large mammals, which may have been a source of food for the natives. The Kaliko Islands were created by volcanic activity, and it is possible that the volcanic eruptions drove off the large mammals and exposed them to predators. This is a hypothetical scenario, but it is possible that the early humans did drive off the large mammals.
Finally, the speaker implies that humans hunted only large mammals. The evidence for this assertion is scant, and it is unclear where humans would have hunted smaller animals. Humans did not arrive in the Kaliko Islands until very recently, and it is likely that there were smaller animals that lived in abundance. It is possible that early humans hunted the smaller animals, but it is also possible that they survived by hunting the plentiful plant life that grew in the forests. Large mammals probably had some effect on the ecosystems, but not as much as humans, and it is possible that the ecosystems quickly returned to balance after the large mammals were driven away. In conclusion, the speaker has provided no evidence that humans were the primary cause of the large mammals’ extinction. Therefore, his conclusion is premature.