Decoding Neanderthals: Similarities and Differences with Homo sapiens

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Decoding Neanderthals
Similarities between modern Homo sapiens and Neanderthals
They are both primates which means that they belong to the most advanced and
intelligent group of mammals. Also, their brain sizes are similar, and they both belong to the
same genus; homo.
Differences between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals
Although these two species belong to the later stages in the hierarchy of human
development, they have many variations. These differences range from the shape of the forehead,
size of the body, varying heights to habitat. The main difference is that Neanderthals were
hunters and gatherers while Homo sapiens practiced agriculture and lived domestically.
Neanderthals lived by hunting and stayed in caves while Homo sapiens lived a life that was
settled. Homo sapiens are the primate species to whom modern human beings belong to while
Neanderthals became extinct and were mainly found in ice-age Europe. There is a difference in
the time that these two species evolved. Homo sapiens evolved in Africa some 200, 000 years
ago while Neanderthals evolved in central Asia and Europe some 400,000 to 40,000 years ago
(Davies, 223).

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Another difference that separates these two groups is the unique nature of their
bodies. Homo sapiens’ body is built lightly while that of Neanderthals was stockier and short.
The forehead of Neanderthals had prominent brow ridges, and it was receding while Homo
sapiens have a near flat forehead that is vertical. Lack of subspecies for Neanderthals separates
these two groups. Homo sapiens have about two subspecies which include Homo sapiens idaltu
plus Homo sapiens sapiens. Neanderthals inhabited mainly central Asia and Europe while Homo
sapiens inhabit in every corner of the world.
The body to brain ratio forms another factor that distinguishes these two groups (Pontzer,
390). The body to brain ratio of Neanderthals was large in comparison with their body while that
of Homo sapiens is smaller in comparison to the whole body. The average height of males and
females of Homo sapiens is more than the height of males and females of Neanderthals. There is
also a significant difference in the weight of Neanderthals as compared to that of Homo sapiens.
The weight of male Neanderthals was about 143 lbs, and that of females was about 119 lbs. On
the other hand, the weight of male Homo sapiens was about 119 to 141 lbs, and that of females
was around 168 to 183 lbs.
Relationship between modern human beings and Neanderthals.
There may have been some form of interbreeding between Neanderthals and ancestral
Eurasians some thirty-seven thousand years ago. There is also evidence showing that people of
South American and Asian origin have a higher percentage of genes that belonged to
Neanderthals. They buried their dead just like we do. The Neanderthals diet was a mixture of
grains and plants (Nowell and April, 92).