What was important about Neanderthals?
They excelled at hunting animals and making complex stone tools, and their bones reveal that they were extremely muscular and strong, but led hard lives, suffering frequent injuries. There is no doubt that Neanderthals were an intelligent species, successfully adapted to their environment for over 200 millenia.
Why are Neanderthals unique?
Neanderthals’ appearance was similar to ours, though they were shorter and stockier with angled cheekbones, prominent brow ridges and wide noses. Though sometimes thought of as dumb brutes, scientists have discovered that they used tools, buried their dead and controlled fire, among other intelligent behaviors.
How are Neanderthals different from Homo sapiens?
The main difference between Neanderthal and Homo sapiens is that Neanderthals were hunter-gatherers whereas Homo sapiens spend a settled life, producing food through agriculture and domestication. Homo sapiens sapiens and Homo sapiens idaltu are the two subspecies of Homo sapiens.
Why did Neanderthals go extinct?
Neanderthals did not go extinct because of climate change and competition with modern humans—they were doomed to be wiped out as a result of the evolutionary phenomenon of “random species drift.”.
Is there proof of Neanderthals?
Researchers found proof of Neanderthals reproducing with other species. The findings, reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday, provide the first known evidence of a direct offspring between these groups, a confirmation of scientists’ strong suspicions that the two species had interbred.
Where was the first Neanderthal found?
The first Neanderthal bones were found in the Neander River Valley in Germany in 1856, and at the time people thought they were the bones of strange modern humans. Neanderthals were generally more massive but shorter than modern humans. They also had a more prominent brow ridge and sloping forehead [Source: O’Neil].