Posted on behalf of Katrina Charles, BA Media Fellow

The tortoise might just have been the original instant meal (BBC, Telegraph). Hermann’s tortoise, which is the breed most commonly used today as pets, was eaten by early man some 130,000 years ago.

“Hermann’s tortoise is relatively easy to catch: it is slow moving and not aggressive. Therefore, obtaining these species does not require much effort and involves no risks” says Ruth Blasco in her paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Or as it was interpreted in the papers: “Cavemen who didn’t have the energy to stalk a woolly mammoth or spear a sabre-toothed tiger often resorted to a lazy alternative.” (Daily Mail)

The tortoises are one of many species that have been found in the Bolomor Cave near the town of Tavernes on the Spanish coast. The researcher has been studying the 526 specimens to learn more about the use of small animals for food by early humans. The tortoises are thought to be from the Later Middle Pleistocene era, around 130,000 years ago (somewhat more recent than reported elsewhere).

The evidence that tortoises were eaten included cutmarks, evidence of cooking, and human toothmarks on the bones. The Telegraph says:

It indicates that the whole animal was cooked, upside down, and the shell cracked off. This would have been achieved either by hurling the roasted snack against the cave wall until it cracked or hitting it with a blunt object like a rock.

There are also signs that once cracked, the limbs and bones were cut off by hand and tooth.

Image: FWS