Neanderthal facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Neanderthal Temporal range: Pleistocene

Skeleton in the American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan
Conservation status
Extinct (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Hominidae
Genus:	Homo
Binomial name
†Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864

Neanderthal range

This reconstruction is at the Neanderthal Museum

The Neanderthal was a type of human that lived a long time ago. Its scientific name is Homo neanderthalensis. They were very close relatives to modern humans, Homo sapiens.

Neanderthal fossils have been found in Europe, Asia Minor, and parts of central Asia. The very first fossil was discovered in 1856 in a limestone quarry near Düsseldorf, Germany. A worker found part of a skeleton in a valley called Neanderthal. Experts later said these bones belonged to an older type of human. Today, these bones are known as Neanderthal 1.

Scientists believe Neanderthals became extinct around 40,000 years ago. It's tricky to figure out the exact date because of how old the archaeological sites are where their remains were found.

Neanderthals might have developed from an older human species called Homo heidelbergensis. They likely split off from modern humans between 700,000 and 300,000 years ago.

For a while, Neanderthals were thought to be a subspecies of modern humans (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis). But now, most scientists classify them as their own separate human species (Homo neanderthalensis).

Neanderthal remains have been found across most of Europe, especially south of areas that were covered by ice. They have also been found outside Europe, in places like the Zagros Mountains and the Levant.

How Smart Were Neanderthals?
- The Divje Babe Flute
- Could Neanderthals Talk?
Discovering Neanderthals
What Did Neanderthals Look Like?
- Growing Up as a Neanderthal
  - Neanderthal Injuries
Neanderthal Life Style
Images for kids
See also

How Smart Were Neanderthals?

Neanderthals had large brains, which suggests they were intelligent. On average, their brains were even larger than those of modern humans. Having a big brain uses a lot of energy and can make birth more difficult. However, the benefits, like better problem-solving and tool-making, likely outweighed these challenges.

Neanderthal flint tools, such as hand axes, were made more carefully than those of earlier humans. However, they were not as varied or as finely made as the tools used by modern humans later on. The art created by Neanderthals was also much simpler than the art made by Homo sapiens during the same time.

The Divje Babe Flute

The object on display in Ljubljana Museum

The oldest flute ever found might be the Divje Babe flute. It was discovered in a cave in Slovenia in 1995. This object is about 43,100 years old. It was made from the femur bone of a young cave bear. It was found near a Mousterian fireplace.

Archaeologists have two big questions about it:

Is it really a flute? Many people have discussed this. It's possible it's a flute, but it's not 100% certain.
If it is a flute, did Neanderthals make it? This is also not fully decided.

The object is on display as a flute in the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana. The museum says that Neanderthals definitely made it. However, this is not what all scientists agree on. It's better to say that it's "not proven" for sure.

Could Neanderthals Talk?

For a long time, people wondered if Neanderthals could talk. Many thought they could, especially because of their large brain size. The discovery of an undamaged Neanderthal hyoid bone made people think even more that they could talk. In humans, the hyoid bone supports the voice box.

Computer analysis has shown that the Neanderthal hyoid bone was very similar to human hyoid bones. Researchers say their findings suggest that Neanderthals had the ability to speak.

Discovering Neanderthals

In August 1856, the first recognized Neanderthal fossil, known as Neanderthal 1, was found. It was discovered in the Neander Valley in Germany, in a limestone quarry near Düsseldorf. Workers first found a skull cap. Later, they found other bones, including leg bones, arm bones, part of a pelvis, and pieces of a shoulder blade and ribs.

Actually, some Neanderthal remains had been found earlier, but people didn't realize they were from a different human species. The Engis child from Belgium was found in 1829. The second discovery was the Forbes Quarry find from Gibraltar in 1848.

What Did Neanderthals Look Like?

The Neanderthal skull differs from our skulls in a number of ways

Direct comparison

Neanderthal men were about 164–168 cm (5.3 ft) tall and weighed around 77.6 kg (171 lbs). Neanderthal women were about 154 cm (5 ft) tall and weighed about 66.4 kg (146 lbs).

Neanderthals had a very strong and sturdy body build. They also had unique features, especially in their skull. They were much stronger than modern humans, especially in their upper bodies.

Their long bones and joints were thicker than ours. Some of their long bones even had a slight curve. Both the thickness and the curve suggest they needed more strength than our species.

Growing Up as a Neanderthal

Since 2007, scientists have been able to figure out the age of Neanderthal teeth. They use a special x-ray technique called synchrotron microtomography. This method looks at the growth patterns in tooth enamel.

This research suggests that Neanderthals grew up physically much faster than modern human children. Studies of early H. sapiens teeth show that this difference in development existed between the two species as far back as 160,000 years ago.

Neanderthal Injuries

Neanderthals often suffered from broken bones. These fractures usually healed well and showed little sign of infection. This suggests that injured Neanderthals were cared for by their group when they couldn't do things for themselves.

Neanderthals had as many injuries as modern rodeo professionals. This shows they often had close contact with large, dangerous animals. The types of fractures suggest they might have hunted by jumping onto their prey and stabbing or wrestling it to the ground.

Neanderthal Life Style

Neanderthals lived in Eurasia during the ice ages of the Pleistocene period. They hunted large mammals like bison, aurochs (an ancestor of modern cattle), deer, reindeer, musk ox, and mammoths.

Their skulls were slightly larger than those of Homo sapiens. This suggests they were intelligent and probably used language. However, their skeletons show that they tended to solve problems, like hunting, more with physical strength than we do.

Neanderthal stone tools are called Mousterian tools. These were more advanced than the Acheulean tools made by earlier human species. However, Homo sapiens made even more varied stone tools. This suggests that modern humans relied more on tools than Neanderthals did.

Neanderthals mostly ate meat, but their diet also included cooked vegetables. They made good tools and lived in complex social groups. Research on their remains suggests they might have had a spoken language, but we don't know what it sounded like.

There are several ideas about why Neanderthals died out. Some scientists think they couldn't adapt to the changing climate. Others believe they couldn't successfully compete with the ancestors of modern humans.

Images for kids

The site of Kleine Feldhofer Grotte where Neanderthal 1 was discovered
Ernst Haeckel's Primate family tree showing H. stupidus (Neanderthal) as the ancestor to H. sapiens
Skullcap of Neanderthal 1, the type specimen, at the Musée de l'Homme, Paris
Reconstruction of Neanderthal 1 by Hermann Schaaffhausen, 1888
Neanderthal skull from Tabun Cave, Israel, at the Israel Museum
Map of Europe during the Würm glaciation 70–20 thousand years ago
Reconstruction of a Neanderthal woman
Reconstruction of an elderly Neanderthal man
La Ferrassie 1 at the Musée de l'Homme, Paris
Skeleton of a Neanderthal child discovered in Roc de Marsal near Les Eyzies, France, on display at the Hall of Human Origins, Washington, D.C.
Genetically, Neanderthals can be grouped into three distinct regions (above). Dots indicate sampled specimens.
Red deer, the most commonly hunted Neanderthal game
Yarrow growing in Spain
Cave hyaena skeleton
Decorated king scallop shell from Cueva Antón, Spain. Interior (left) with natural red colouration, and exterior (right) with traces of unnatural orange pigmentation
Speculative reconstruction of white-tailed eagle talon jewellery from Krapina, Croatia (arrows indicate cut marks)
The scratched floor of Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar
Mousterian point discovered in the Darai Rockshelter in the Sirwan valley of Hawraman, Zagros
Smooth clam shell scrapers from Grotta dei Moscerini, Italy
The ring structures in Grotte de Bruniquel, France
Two racloir side scrapers from Le Moustier, France
Reconstruction of the Kebara 2 skeleton at the Natural History Museum, London
Reconstruction of the upper Palaeolithic human Oase 2 with around 7.3% Neanderthal DNA (from an ancestor 4–6 generations back)
Map emphasising the Ebro River in northern Spain
Bohunician scrapers in the Moravian Museum, Czech Republic
Dispersal of deposits during the Campanian Ignimbrite Eruption around 40,000 years ago.
Cavemen in The Black Terror #16 (1946)