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BLAME it on the bunnies.
The debate over what Neanderthals ate, and how it may have led to their demise, has turned to rabbits. Which, it is now claimed, Neanderthals did not feast on.
Signs that our extinct cousins hunted dolphins and seals were presented in 2008 as evidence of their sophistication. But, experts claimed in 2009, they weren't clever enough to catch fish or birds – which could have given our ancestors an edge. Then came the discovery of fish scales and feathers on Neanderthal tools.
Now, John Fa of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in Trinity, Jersey, says Neanderthals eventually bit the dust because they were unable to adapt their hunting to small animals like rabbits.
It's not clear why Neanderthals would have had more trouble changing prey, says Fa.
They may have been less able to cooperate.
Rather than using spears, early humans probably surrounded a warren and flushed out rabbits with fire, smoke or dogs.
But Bruce Hardy of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, says Fa takes the interpretation too far. Humans may have eaten more rabbits than Neanderthals, but neither would have exclusively eaten meat, he says.
Ah, but, since the jury is still out, you may want to check to ensure your home is bunny proof.
the number of plant foods Neanderthals could eat would have dropped significantly during the winter of colder climates, forcing Neanderthals to exploit other food options like meat more heavily. There is evidence that Neanderthals were specialized seasonal hunters, eating animals were available at the time
Scientists have also found plaque on the remains of molar teeth containing starch grains—concrete evidence that Neandertals ate plants.
The Mousterian stone tool industry of Neanderthals is characterized by sophisticated flake tools that were detached from a prepared stone core. This innovative technique allowed flakes of predetermined shape to be removed and fashioned into tools from a single suitable stone....Neanderthals used tools for activities like hunting and sewing.
Neanderthals also controlled fire, lived in shelters, and occasionally made symbolic or ornamental objects. There is evidence that Neanderthals deliberately buried their dead and occasionally even marked their graves with offerings, such as flowers. No other primates, and no earlier human species, had ever practiced this sophisticated and symbolic behavior.
There is even some evidence that Neanderthals...perform crude surgery that sustained the life of the severely injured. This evidence suggests that Neanderthals engaged in complex ritual behavior and were capable of abstract thought, including recognition of the importance of the individual to society and of society to the individual.
Originally posted by The Cusp
Perhaps they were so good at catching rabbits, that's all they ate, and they died from rabbit starvation. Rabbits have almost no fat in their meat, so if you eat a diet of rabbits exclusively, you can starve to death.
Originally posted by The Cusp
Perhaps they were so good at catching rabbits, that's all they ate, and they died from rabbit starvation. Rabbits have almost no fat in their meat, so if you eat a diet of rabbits exclusively, you can starve to death.
Originally posted by The Cusp
Perhaps they were so good at catching rabbits, that's all they ate, and they died from rabbit starvation. Rabbits have almost no fat in their meat, so if you eat a diet of rabbits exclusively, you can starve to death.
Originally posted by Druscilla
For those of you who remember Buffy: