There is no consensus in the literature concerning the origin and importance of meat eating in hominid culture. Through a comparative analysis of mammalian bite force production and various characteristics of the masticatory apparatus, the aims of the present study were to investigate whether humans eat meat facultatively or habitually and whether a trend towards a more carnivorous-like masticatory apparatus can be seen in the hominid fossil record. Using twenty-one dry mammalian skulls, a range was created and it was observed whether both extant and extinct hominids were closer towards the carnivore or ungulate end of the range for the various characteristics considered. The trends observed indicated that a progression towards a more carnivorous-like masticatory apparatus can be seen in the hominid fossil record and that humans are well-accomplished meat eaters that eat meat habitually.