(ORDO NEWS) — A team of scientists recently discovered that an ancient human ancestor known as the Neanderthals cooked crabs over 90,000 years ago, forcing scientists to change their view of this ancient human species.
Archaeological work at Gruta da Figueira Brava (Portugal) has unearthed remains showing that the Neanderthals who occupied this cave over 90,000 years ago caught and cooked crabs as one of their main food sources.
This discovery is significant because it changes previous ideas about Neanderthals and their diet.
Previously, scientists believed that omega-3 rich seafood was one of the unique factors that allowed our species, Homo sapiens, to evolve.
We now see that this is not the case, and that extinct human ancestors, such as the Neanderthals, also fished and ate seafood, the fatty acids of which were an important factor in brain growth.
According to Dr. Mariana Nabais, a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain, the findings represent compelling evidence that completely changes our understanding of Neanderthals .
“Our results are yet another nail in the coffin of the outdated notion that Neanderthals were primitive cave dwellers who could barely scrape together a livelihood on the carcasses of big game,” Dr. Nabais explained in a statement.
Archaeological excavations at a site located near Lisbon have also shown that ancient human ancestors caught and cooked shellfish . Neanderthals also appear to have eaten mollusks and mussels, as evidenced by the remains found by experts.
Interestingly, the type of crab that human ancestors used tens of thousands of years ago is still widespread in the Iberian Peninsula . In addition, the authors of the study concluded that, judging by the damage to the crab shells, scientists can rule out other factors, such as the involvement of other predators.
Interestingly, as the researchers note, crack marks on the crab shells are similar to those we get when we eat crab today . However, Neanderthals probably did not use modern eating utensils, but used stone tools to crack shells.
But the ancient ancestors of man did not only catch and eat crabs. Traces of burns on the shells indicate that the fish was fried on fires , the temperature of which reached 300-500 degrees Celsius.
As for how the crabs were caught, scientists believe that the animals were collected near rock pools when the water in the ocean subsided due to low tides. However, it is possible that Neanderthals also used weapons, such as spears, to aid them in hunting.
Unlike previous ideas, Neanderthals could adapt to different conditions and hunt different types of animals. In fact, as the study highlights, these human ancestors may have hunted big game by developing methods for butchering large animals such as mammoths. The meat of these animals was also cooked on fire .
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