Homo neanderthalensis

Meaning of the name

Man from the Neander Valley near Düsseldorf (Germany).

Discovery site

Europe, West Asia and Central Asia

Age

400'000–40'000 years

Height and weight

150–170 cm, 60–80 kg

Brain size

1200–1750 cm³ (comparable or even larger than in modern humans).

Body characteristics

Robust and muscular build with a broad chest, short limbs (adaptation to cold climatic conditions), elongated loaf-shaped skull with a pronounced bulge over the eyes and receding forehead, slightly protruding face with large nostrils and large eye sockets.

Teeth

Larger, stronger teeth compared to modern humans, especially the front teeth (incisors and canines) with thick enamel. This could be related to the use of teeth as tools, e.g. for holding objects.

Habitat

Adapted to cold and temperate climates of the ice ages.

Nutrition

Omnivores with a focus on meat, but also plants, nuts and berries.

Tools

Mousterian culture: finely crafted stone tools such as scrapers and points, use of bone and wood. Controlled use of fire for cooking, warmth and protection. Group hunting of large game such as mammoths and reindeer, adapted to cold and temperate climates of the ice ages, family groups or small groups, burial rituals, jewellery and possibly symbolic thinking. Care of injured or old group members. Probably developed language (based on anatomical features such as the hyoid bone).

Best known find

"Neanderthal 1". The discovery was named "Neanderthal" after its location, which gave the species Homo neanderthalensis its name, and was the first indication that other human species existed in the past that did not correspond to modern Homo sapiens. The discovery sparked intense debate, especially after the publication of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" in 1859.

Significance for evolution

Morphologically clearly definable form whose relationship to Homo sapiens is disputed.
Homo heidelbergensis is currently considered to be the last common ancestor of Homo neanderthalensis in Europe and Homo sapiens in Africa.
Various factors are held responsible for its extinction: climate change, competition with Homo sapiens, mixing with the latter (Neanderthal DNA accounts for around 1-3% of the genome of modern humans outside Africa).