Footprints discovered in the sand of a Spanish beach were left by a Neanderthal child 100,000 years ago, who “jumped irregularly as if dancing,” the study shows.
The impressions were discovered due to the stormy weather and high tides in June 2020, and were seen by a couple of biologists walking on the sand.
They stumbled upon what was later revealed to be a Neanderthal irrigation hole, dating back 100,000 years to the late Pleistocene.
The place, located on the beach of Matalascanas in Spain, is located between Huelva and Cádiz and is where the ancestors of modern humans drank, hunted, searched for seafood and even let their children play in the water with animals. .
Paleontologists at the University of Huelva say that this is the first known example of Neanderthal footprints in the Iberian Peninsula.
Footprints discovered in the sand of a Spanish beach were left by a Neanderthal boy 100,000 years ago who “jumped irregularly as if dancing,” the study shows.
They stumbled upon what later became known as a Neanderthal irrigation hole, dating to 100,000 years in the late Pleistocene.
This image shows a close-up view of the sand where the ancient Neanderthals were
At least 87 footprints were found at the site, including evidence of a Neanderthal boy jumping and possibly dancing even through the sand.
They were discovered at a site that has been slowly revealed due to erosion of sand dunes, according to the study’s author, Eduardo Mayoral.
He says it may be more difficult to trace the early Neanderthals, as there are often no bones left so far or analyzed, so they are based on footprints and other “fossil records.”
“The biological and ethological information of ancient groups of hominins when there are no bone remains is provided by the study of their fossil footprints, which show us certain ‘frozen’ moments of their existence,” he explained.
They reviewed the footprints through 3D models and performed detailed sedimentary analyzes to characterize them and the environment in which they were found.
The team found that the footprints had a rounded heel, a longitudinal arch, relatively short toes, and a non-opposable big toe.
“They represent the oldest Upper Pleistocene record of Neanderthal footprints in the world,” Mayoral added.
Of the 87 footprints, 37 were complete enough to reflect the size of the Neanderthal foot, measuring from 5 inches to 11 inches long.
The place, located on the beach of Matalascanas, in Spain, is located between Huelva and Cádiz and is where the ancestors of modern humans drank, hunted, searched for seafood and even let their children play in the water next to animals.
Of the 87 footprints, 37 were complete enough to reflect the size of the Neanderthal foot, measuring from 5 inches to 11 inches long.
This allowed the team to calculate that the people in the “irrigation hole” were between 3 and 4 feet and 6 feet and 1 inch tall, with the majority between 4 and 5 feet. ‘
“The wide range of footprint sizes suggests the existence of a social group made up of individuals of different ages, but dominated, however, by non-adults,” Mayoral said.
Of the footprints, seven belonged to children, 15 to adolescents and nine were left by adults, and the two youngest belonged to a six-year-old child.
The four longest footprints belonged to someone over 6 feet, which Mayoral says is significantly higher than the maximum expected height of a Neanderthal, so it may be incorrect or may have been made by a smaller individual with more movement.
These show areas where humans and animals used to be located, the MTS area is the trampled area of Matalascañas, the name of the beach and HTS is the trampled surface of the Hominin, revealed after the storms and where walked the Neanderthal
The team found that the footprints had a rounded heel, a longitudinal arch, relatively short toes, and a non-opposable big toe.
There was a microbial mat, which suggested an area of life, once underwater, as seen in this close-up image showing remnants of halite molds, possibly tied to salt water.
“The wide range of footprint sizes suggests the existence of a social group made up of individuals of different ages, but dominated, however, by non-adults,” Mayoral said.
He said they were able to better understand the behavior of the Neanderthal group by studying the positioning of the footprints.
“Neanderthals are hunter-gatherers, so the reasons for their presence are mainly due to travel, resource transportation, or feeding strategies,” Mayoral added.
Almost a quarter of the group was made up of children, with most of the footprints lying on the edge of what would have previously been the trough itself.
“This could involve a hunting strategy, chasing animals in the water, probably waterfowl and waders or small carnivores, or even fishing or looking for fish or shellfish,” he said.
The findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.
A close relative of modern humans, Neanderthals became extinct 40,000 years ago
Neanderthals were a close human ancestor that mysteriously disappeared about 40,000 years ago.
The species lived in Africa with the first humans for millennia before moving to Europe about 300,000 years ago.
Humans later joined, entering Eurasia about 48,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were a cousin species of humans but not a direct ancestor (the two species separated from a common ancestor) who died about 50,000 years ago. In the picture is an exhibition of the Neanderthal museum
These were the original “cave men”, historically thought to be cumbersome and brutal compared to modern humans.
However, in recent years and especially over the last decade, it is becoming increasingly clear that we are selling Neanderthals short.
A growing body of evidence points to a more sophisticated and versatile type of “caveman” than anyone thought possible.
It now seems likely that Neanderthals would have counted, buried their dead, painted and even intertwined with humans.
They used body art as pigments and pearls, and were the first artists, with Neanderthal rock art (and symbolism) in Spain apparently earlier than the oldest modern human art for about 20,000 years.
They are believed to have hunted on land and fished. However, they became extinct about 40,000 years ago after the success of Homo sapiens in Europe.