Archaeologists working in a seafront collapse Portugal have found the stays of varied shellfish, together with quite a few brown crabs, the place Neanderthals lived round 90,000 years in the past. The discovering means that Neanderthals have been cooking and consuming crab and shellfish meat.
Extra particularly, in line with the brand new research printed in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, the Neanderthals residing on the Iberian Peninsula hunted and ate principally bigger grownup crabs. This means Neanderthals knew bigger crabs offered extra sustenance.
Did Neanderthals Eat Seafood?
Together with the brown crab stays, researchers discovered remnants of the assorted shellfish Neanderthals ate, together with limpets, mussels and clams. The seafront cave is called Gruta da Figueira Brava and sits about 20 miles south of Lisbon, Portugal, simply off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
Given the proximity to the ocean, researchers recommended Neanderthals resorted to looking within the shallow waters, relatively than transferring inland. Findings in Gruta da Figueira Brava reveal that Neanderthals cooked the shellfish and crab over coals after which broke them open to eat the meat that was inside.
Learn Extra: Which Animals Did Early Humans Mainly Hunt?
How Do We Know Neanderthals Ate Shellfish?
Researchers may deduce that Neanderthals have been liable for the shellfish stays because of the sort of harm noticed on the shells. Based on the research, the crack marks on the shells are just like when an individual eats a crab right now. Moreover, the patterns of harm on the shells don’t mirror injury {that a} chook or one other animal would create.
“Our outcomes add an additional nail to the coffin of the out of date notion that Neanderthals have been primitive cave dwellers who may barely scrape a residing off scavenged big-game carcasses,” says research creator Mariana Nabais in a press release.
Learn Extra: Ancient Predators: A Guide to the Neanderthal Hunt
Different Neanderthal Diets and Habits
Researchers are studying extra in regards to the Neanderthal weight loss plan and the current findings in Gruta da Figueira Brava helps shed new gentle. Different research over the previous couple of years have additionally uncovered that Neanderthals tailored to varied environments and hunted completely different sorts of animals.
A study published in February 2022, discovered that Neanderthals may hunt and take down grownup straight-tusked elephants, which may weigh as much as 13 tons. Neanderthals have been doubtless in a position to feed a whole lot of individuals with these carcasses. And a November 2022 study revealed that Neanderthals cooked meals that included vegetation corresponding to lentils, which nonetheless exist in our diets right now.
Whether or not Neanderthals have been munching on crab, or cooking elephant meat, new analysis surrounding their diets at all times offers us a better glimpse into what life was like for this historic species.
Learn Extra: Neanderthals Hunted and Ate Straight-Tusked Elephants
