"This made them pre-adapted to the glacial maximum," said Gilligan. But Neanderthals were physically more resistant to the cold, he said. Because of this they were quite happy before the ice age to get around in similar temperatures wearing little less than single-layered loosely-draped animal hides. This gave Neanderthals no pressing need to develop complex clothing. But when the peak of the ice age came, it was a shock. Gilligan says climatic evidence shows in the lead up to the glacial maximum there were unusually sudden and massive swings in global temperatures over short periods of time. "It was like an on-off switch," he said. Over brief periods, the average temperature would plunge by more than 10 degrees Celsius and then warm again before plunging once again into ultra-cold territory, says Gilligan. Neanderthals were unable to adapt their clothing in response to such rapid climate change. While there is evidence that some Neanderthals in France started to develop sewing tools, this would not have been enough to save the species. "You cannot develop complex clothing overnight," said Gilligan.
Related Links: Discovery Channel: Ice World - Can You Survive? |
advertisement
Download Human Animal News at Bottom!
|
-
our sites
-
video
mobile
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
