Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Defining the distinctive capacities of <jats:italic>Homo sapiens</jats:italic> relative to other hominins is a major focus for human evolutionary studies. It has been argued that the procurement of small, difficult-to-catch, agile prey is a hallmark of complex behavior unique to our species; however, most research in this regard has been limited to the last 20,000 years in Europe and the Levant. Here, we present detailed faunal assemblage and taphonomic data from Fa-Hien Lena Cave in Sri Lanka that demonstrates specialized, sophisticated hunting of semi-arboreal and arboreal monkey and squirrel populations from ca. 45,000 years ago, in a tropical rainforest environment. Facilitated by complex osseous and microlithic technologies, we argue these data highlight that the early capture of small, elusive mammals was part of the plastic behavior of <jats:italic>Homo sapiens</jats:italic> that allowed it to rapidly colonize a series of extreme environments that were apparently untouched by its hominin relatives.</jats:p>