Neanderthal: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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Neanderthals had more robust and stockier builds than typical modern humans,<ref name="Helmuth1998"/> wider and barrel-shaped rib cages; wider pelvises;{{sfn|Papagianni|Morse|2013}}<ref name=Gomez2018/> and proportionally shorter forearms and forelegs.<ref name=stewart2019/><ref name=etrinkaus1981/>This could be given due to the [[Bergmann's rule|Bergmann Rule]], in which in this case, given that Neanderthals lived in Ice Age Europe which would be colder than other continents.

Based on 45 Neanderthal [[long bone]]s from 14 men and 7 women, the average height was {{cvt|164 to 168|cm|ftin}} for males and {{cvt|152 to 156|cm|ftin}} for females.<ref name="Helmuth1998"/> For comparison, the average height of 20 males and 10 females Upper Palaeolithic humans is, respectively, {{cvt|176.2|cm|ftin}} and {{cvt|162.9|cm|ftin}}, although this decreases by {{cvt|10|cm|0}} nearer the end of the period based on 21 males and 15 females;<ref name=Formicola1998>{{cite journal |first1=V. |last1=Formicola |first2=M. |last2=Giannecchini |year=1998 |title=Evolutionary trends of stature in Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic Europe |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=325 |pmid=10074386 |doi=10.1006/jhev.1998.0270}}</ref> and the average in the year 1900 was {{cvt|163|cm|ftin}} and {{cvt|152.7|cm|ftin|sigfig=1}}, respectively.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=M. |last1=Roser |author1-link=Max Roser |first2=C. |last2=Appel |first3=H. |last3=Ritchie |author3-link=Hannah Ritchie |year=2013 |title=Human height |journal=Our World in Data |url=https://ourworldindata.org/human-height |access-date=June 16, 2020}}</ref> The fossil record shows that adult Neanderthals varied from about {{cvt|147.5|to|177|cm|ftin|sigfig=1}} in height, although some may have grown much taller (73.8 to 184.8&nbsp;cm based on footprint length and from 65.8 to 189.3&nbsp;cm based on footprint width).<ref name=duveau2019/> For Neanderthal weight, samples of 26 specimens found an average of {{cvt|77.6|kg|lbs}} for males and {{cvt|66.4|kg|lbs}} for females.<ref name=Froehle2009>{{cite journal |last1=Froehle |first1=A. W. |last2=Churchill |first2=S. E. |year=2009 |title=Energetic competition between Neandertals and anatomically modern humans |journal=PaleoAnthropology |pages=96–116 |url=http://www.paleoanthro.org/journal/content/PA20090096.pdf}}</ref> Using {{cvt|76|kg|lbs}}, the [[body mass index]] for Neanderthal males was calculated to be 26.9–28.2, which in modern humans correlates to being [[overweight]]. This indicates a very robust build.<ref name="Helmuth1998">{{Cite journal |last=Helmuth |first=H. |title=Body height, body mass and surface area of the Neanderthals |journal=Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Anthropologie |volume=82 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |year=1998 |doi=10.1127/zma/82/1998/1 |doi-broken-date=March 6, 2024 |pmid=9850627 |jstor=25757530}}</ref> The Neanderthal [[LEPR]] gene concerned with storing fat and [[thermogenesis|body heat production]] is similar to that of the [[woolly mammoth]], and so was likely an adaptation for cold climate.<ref name=Kislev2018>{{cite journal |first1=M. |last1=Kislev |first2=R. |last2=Barkai |year=2018 |title=Neanderthal and woolly mammoth molecular resemblance |journal=Human Biology |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=115–128 |doi=10.13110/humanbiology.90.2.03 |pmid=33951886 |s2cid=106401104}}</ref>