Homo neanderthalensis
Homo neanderthalensis
Neanderthals were not direct ancestors of modern humans but a closely related human group with a shared history.
Image: Nahleghini · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Sites on today's globe · 1 marker
Characteristics
- Scientific name
- Homo neanderthalensis
- Period
- Middle to Late Pleistocene
- Lived
- 0.4–0.04 Ma (400,000 years ago)
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Habitat
- Forest, Plains, Polar
- Length (estimate)
- 1.65 m
- Discovered/described
- 1856 · Quarry workers at Feldhofer Cave; described by Hermann Schaaffhausen
Description
Neanderthals had robust bodies, broad chests, sturdy limbs and large braincases. They made varied stone tools, used fire and adapted their hunting to local animals and climates. Genetic research shows that they interbred with the ancestors of many people living today. The significance of some proposed symbolic finds and the extent of their language ability remain under study.
Habitat
Cold and temperate landscapes of Europe and western Asia.
Fossil sites
Feldhofer Cave, Neander Valley
Cultural profile: Germany →
Contemporaries in the database
Sources: Neanderthaler