Neanderthal fossil remains. Assortment of fossil bones of Homo neanderthalensis,discovered at La Ferrassie in France. An adult skull (at top) and a skeleton of a 2-3 year old infant (lower centre) are represented. Formerly seen as a degenerate version of modern humans,Neanderthal man is now considered a separate species and believed not to be a direct ancestor. The skull has brow ridges,a low forehead,large teeth,with average brain size over 1400 ml. The infant's bones appear stocky. Homo neanderthalensis were short,thick-set people with a body cold-adapted like eskimos. They lived as hunter gatherers,ranging across Europe from about 150,000 to 30,000 years ago |