CRAWLEY, AUSTRALIA—Dingoes are thought to have arrived in Australia with people traveling by boat from Southeast Asia some 4,000 years ago. Anthropological observations suggest that Aboriginal men did not usually take dingoes hunting because they tended to scare away large animals. Archaeologist Jane Balme of the University of Western Australia and archaeologist Sue O’Connor of Australia National University reviewed evidence from archaeological sites, including Tunnel Cave in south West Australia, and found that Aboriginals started to eat a wider variety of small animals after dingoes arrived in Australia. “We thought that maybe this change in fauna is the result of using dingoes as hunting dogs for small animals that are traditionally caught by women,” Balme told Science Network, Western Australia. To see a video about aboriginal rock art, go to "The Rock Art of Djulirri."
