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The scientists focused on forms of the common chemical elements carbon and nitrogen. These particular elements reflect an individual's diet at the time of tooth formation, usually during later childhood. The research, conducted in the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, matched the Neanderthal tooth isotopes to those found in the large herbivore fossils found nearby, with the exception of reindeer, which appear to have been hyena prey. "It is not surprising that hyenas would prefer reindeer -- they are the ideal size for hyena prey," explained Steele. "Given a choice, bison and aurochs would have been more difficult for a hyena to hunt compared to a reindeer, but apparently this was not true for Neanderthals." The Neanderthal diet was limited in comparison to modern human diets, noted Steele, since early modern humans ate "more small, fast game, including birds and fish." This gave our ancestors "greater dietary flexibility and ultimately allowed their population sizes to increase more rapidly, allowing them to live at higher population densities." Neanderthals, who lived in small groups throughout parts of Europe and the Near East, went extinct around 30,000 years ago, shortly after modern humans arrived on their territory. The new study therefore reveals what Neanderthals, at least those in southwestern France, were eating fairly close to the time of their ultimate demise. "The study reconfirms previous studies that the Neanderthals were highly carnivorous and fed primarily on large mammals," said Richard Klein, a professor of anthropological sciences in the Department of Biology at Stanford University, adding, "I think it is totally convincing." Related Links: |
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