Neanderthals hunted 125,000-year-old elephant, new evidence shows

11 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Apr 24

A reassessment of a skeleton from Lehringen, Germany, reveals tool marks and a wooden spear, confirming Neanderthal hunting 125,000 years ago.
The findings, published in Nature, overturn decades of skepticism and suggest Neanderthals used coordinated teamwork to hunt the largest land mammals of their era.
This challenges long-held assumptions about Neanderthal sophistication and demonstrates their advanced hunting strategies, predating Homo sapiens’ arrival in Europe by 75,000 years.

What advanced strategies did Neanderthals use to hunt and butcher a 13-ton elephant with only wooden spears?

Were Neanderthals the apex predators of their age, shaping entire ecosystems through organized big-game hunting?

If Neanderthals hunted giant elephants, why does modern AI still portray them as primitive brutes?

Scientists were wrong about Neanderthals for decades. What other 'facts' about our ancient past could be completely wrong?

What level of language and planning was required for a small group to bring down a prime-aged elephant?