Neanderthal

The Neanderthals (also spelled "Neandertal". The original German spelling included an "h" but is pronounced as if no "h" is present.) are an extinct nonmodern hominid that come chronologically extremely close to the modern era, becoming extinct less than 30,000 years ago.

Homo neanderthalensis or Homo sapiens neanderthalensis? As the most well known archaic Homo sapien, it is often questioned whether they are directly ancestral to fully modern Homo sapiens or merely an extinct cousin. They are very well adapted to cold environments, with shortened forearms and lower legs to reduce surface area resulting in less lost body heat. They were indisputably big game hunters with a high reliance on meat in their diet. The Mousterian tool industry is associated with Neanderthals. Evidence supports the earliest examples of compassion and ritual come with Neanderthals.

Discovery

The Neanderthal name comes from the Neander Valley in Germany where limestone was being mined for in a cave.

- This article is currently being developed as part of a student project involving an Anthropology course at University of Colorado at Boulder. If you are not involved with this project, please refrain from further developing this article until otherwise noted. Thank you.