Study Finds Neanderthals Harvested Shellfish 115,000 Years Ago, With 78% of Top Snails Taken in Winter
Updated
Updated · Haaretz · May 18
Study Finds Neanderthals Harvested Shellfish 115,000 Years Ago, With 78% of Top Snails Taken in Winter
8 articles · Updated · Haaretz · May 18
Los Aviones Cave shells show Neanderthals gathered shellfish year-round 115,000 years ago, but winter dominated the catch: 78% of top snails and 60% of limpets were taken between November and April.
Oxygen-isotope analysis of the shells let researchers reconstruct seawater temperatures at the animals' deaths, pointing to repeated cold-season harvesting from intertidal rocks in southern Spain.
The pattern supports the idea that Neanderthals turned more heavily to marine food when land prey such as deer was harder to obtain, though the study also notes limpets and snails are fattest during colder months.
The findings add seasonal planning to earlier evidence that Neanderthals exploited coastal resources in Spain and Italy, reinforcing a picture of flexible foraging rather than opportunistic scavenging.
How did Neanderthals discover the invisible threat lurking in summer shellfish?
If Neanderthals were as smart as us, why did they vanish?
Why does advanced AI still show us a Neanderthal that science left behind decades ago?