Dmanisi is a treasure trove of Early Pleistocene fossils, including those of surprisingly altruistic hunting dogs. Being hypercarnivores — eating exclusively meat, vertebrate flesh in this instance — disabled, injured, or old Eurasian hunting dogs (a now extinct species) were unlikely to survive on their own. So, the unveiling of a member of the species with “numerous congenital disabilities” surviving to adulthood suggests that these hunting dogs cared for the weakest members of their pack, likely allocating food for them despite being incapable of contributing to the hunt.
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