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Neanderthals (the ‘th’ pronounced as ‘t’) are our closest extinct human relative. Some defining features of their skulls include the large middle part of the face, angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air. Their bodies were shorter and stockier than ours, another adaptation to living in cold environments. But their brains were just as large as ours and often larger - proportional to their brawnier bodies.

Neanderthals made and used a diverse set of sophisticated tools, controlled fire, lived in shelters, made and wore clothing, were skilled hunters of large animals and also ate plant foods, and occasionally made symbolic or ornamental objects. There is evidence that Neanderthals deliberately buried their dead and occasionally even marked their graves with offerings, such as flowers. No other primates, and no earlier human species, had ever practiced this sophisticated and symbolic behavior.

DNA has been recovered from more than a dozen Neanderthal fossils, all from Europe; the Neanderthal Genome Project is one of the exciting new areas of human origins research.

Nickname: Neanderthal
Where Lived: Europe and southwestern to central Asia
When Lived: About 400,000 - 40,000 years agoYear of Discovery: 1829
History of Discovery:
Neanderthal 1 was the first specimen to be recognized as an early human fossil. When it was discovered in 1856 in Germany, scientists had never seen a specimen like it: the oval shaped skull with a low, receding forehead and distinct browridges, the thick, strong bones. In 1864, it became the first fossil hominin species to be named. Geologist William King suggested the name Homo neanderthalensis (Johanson and Edgar, 2006), after these fossils found in the Feldhofer Cave of the Neander Valley in Germany (tal—a modern form of thal—means “valley” in German). Several years after Neanderthal 1 was discovered, scientists realized that prior fossil discoveries—in 1829 at Engis, Belgium, and in 1848 at Forbes Quarry, Gibraltar—were also Neanderthals. Even though they weren’t recognized at the time, these two earlier discoveries were actually the first early human fossils ever found.

Height:
Males: average 5 ft 5 in (164 cm); Females: average 5 ft 1 in (155 cm)
Weight:
Males: average 143 lbs (65 kg); Females: average 119 lbs (54 kg)
Height & Weight Supplemental Information:
While the tall, lean bodies of earlier human species like Homo erectus were adapted to tropical temperatures, the short, stocky bodies of Neanderthals were adapted to winter climates. With thick, short lower arm and leg bones making up a very strong and compact body, Neanderthals were more heavily built than modern humans and were more efficient at conserving body heat, allowing them to withstand living in cold climates during ice ages.

Neanderthal males were slightly taller and heavier than Neanderthal females; however, sexual dimorphism was not nearly as extreme as what is seen in earlier human species.

Details

  • Title: Reconstruction of Homo neanderthalensis
  • Creator: John Gurche
  • Location: Europe and southwestern to central Asia
  • Type: Facial Reconstruction
  • Rights: This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws. http://www.si.edu/termsofuse
  • Scientific Name: <i>Homo neanderthalensis</i>
  • Photo Credit: Copyright John Gurche
  • Historic Period: About 400,000 - 40,000 years ago
  • Field: Anthropology

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