170,000 Years Ago, Prehistoric Humans Roasted and Ate Giant Land Snails

Scientists have discovered the remains of giant snail shells at a 225,000-year-old archaeological site in southern Africa, indicating that these snails were a significant source of sustenance for the humans who lived there. A new study shows how small groups of hunter-gatherers captured, roasted and ate giant snails as early as 170,000 years ago. The giant snails would have been an important source of nutrition, especially for children and the elderly. The team of researchers working on the study suggested that when hunter-gatherer groups in southern Africa roamed the countryside hunting large animals, some of them, perhaps with limited mobility due to age or injury, might have stayed behind “snail-gathering.”