The Giant Humans That Hunted & Cannibalized Neanderthals

In this world, there are a lot of unpleasantries that life can throw at you. We've got stuff like war, famine, pollution, murder, pineapple on pizza, and the list goes on. However, when you look at the big picture, life in many ways has never been better for us, and we get to enjoy a lot of luxuries that didn't even exist not so long ago. And besides the occasional anomaly, you'll find that as you go back farther in time, the worse things were for people and subsequently other homo species if they were around. And perhaps this is why the brutally tough Ice Age created some absolute units such as the Neanderthals, because as we know, hard times generally creates hard people. And they possessed multiple features that if present in a modern person might be viewed as almost supernatural. And it was this crazy biology that played a big role in their relevance and popularity today, and made them the icons of the Ice Age. But at the same time, we might have unfairly glossed over another group of people that endured the Ice Age as well, and were freaks of nature in their own right, and even happened to live alongside the Neanderthals. Most surprising of all is that this isn't some new or lost species that has gone under the radar, because these guys that I'm talking about are us. Well, kind of, as I'm talking about the Cro-Magnon, a group of humans now believed to have been the first modern people in Europe, with their arrival being dated to Our knowledge on their existence stems from a discovery in France back in 1868, when scientists stumbled upon a cave dubbed Cro-Magnon that housed various human remains, including skull and post-cranial material. At the time, the researchers believed that they had found a new distinct species of human, based off of some rather interesting anatomical differences. But overall, the similarities the skeletons shared with present-day populations was just too uncanny to ignore, and they are now widely referred to as European Early Modern Humans, or EEMH for short, a conclusion that they reached based on the hollow-type possessing a globular brain case, upright posture, completely flat face, grass-style brow ridge, and a seriously well-defined chin. And surprise, surprise, all of these traits are shared by us today. And the proof of their close relationship was further seen in their skeletal structures, which were again, a lot like ours. And if you happened to wind up in Ice Age Europe, you probably could have seen that they were one of us, as opposed to seeing a Neanderthal, whose uniqueness might have been a bit more obvious. This being said, you still certainly would have noticed the odd thing or two about them, with it being pretty straightforward from the get-go that Cro-Magnons were not the type of people you'd want to pick a fight with, as they were built like literal action figures, which is why researchers originally thought that they were a completely separate species. It was the earliest dated Cro-Magnons in particular that were built quite differently, literally, with one of the more standout characteristics having been their size, as they were essentially giants for their time. Recovered adult specimens indicated that on average, they were similar in height to post-industrial humans, with the females averaging around 5'4", or 1.63 meters, while the males generally stood over 5'9", or 1.75 meters, and thereby making them taller than the average adult seen worldwide today. Which is pretty crazy, considering that present-day humans are pretty much taller than ever, and compared to other contemporary humans of the time, this height would have been even more obvious. And this wasn't even their final form, as certain subsets of Cro-Magnons were straight-up towers, with one population located in Eastern Europe ranging from 5'10", or 1.78 meters, to 6'2", or 1.88 meters. Meaning, if they were treated as a country, then at this latter range, they would be considered the tallest population on Earth. And bigger Cro-Magnon males were also known of, and specimens have been found to stand at 6'3", or 1.91 meters, so taller than your average NFL player. And these mountainous individuals were no twigs either, because while their skeletons were similar to ours in shape, Cro-Magnons were overall were much more robustly built, with their bones having been larger, broader, and denser. And while every bone held these characteristics, the lower limbs and shoulders particularly benefited from this increased size. For example, the collar bones from a medium-sized Cro-Magnon could measure up to 19 centimeters, or 7.5 inches, making them a quarter longer than the average today. And this would have granted them better leverage for various shoulder movements, allowing for extremely powerful swings with a wide range melee weapons. Their overall build also heavily implies that in life, they were extremely muscular, with some research finding that if you compared an adult Cro-Magnon with a human born in recent times that were of the exact same height, you could expect a former to be about 20% heavier and have a much higher degree of lean muscle. This seemingly overkill amount of muscles and bone strength was in fact necessary for their harsh lives amongst Ice Age Europe, where you had to be ridiculously durable just to scrape by, and multiple fossils have shown that individuals routinely endured and survived a variety of ailments and catastrophic injuries. For example, within the Cro-Magnon rock shelter alone, multiple specimens were found with evidence of infection, while many, and actually the majority, had fused vertebrae in their necks, which is believed to have come from traumatic injuries. Meanwhile, one of the adult females found seemed to have endured a significant skull fracture at some point in her life, but still managed to survive for an extended period of time, as the fracture showed signs of bone growth. And to really just drive home how hard their lives were, even the first Cro-Magnon to ever be identified, a specimen dubbed Cro-Magnon 1, endured an absolutely grueling life, as his skull and face were riddled with scars believed to have been caused by a genetic disease, that resulted in multiple cysts and tumors. And yet, based off of his body, researchers could tell that he actually made it to adulthood, and in fact was quite old by Cro-Magnon standards at the time of his death. Now, with that said, to be considered an elder back then, you didn't really have to make it that far, as the life expectancy for these guys was typically under 40, similar to what was seen in Neanderthals, who themselves are known for living absolutely brutal lives, and therefore researchers assume that early deaths was just a common theme during the Ice Age. Yet, surviving the unfairness of life wasn't the sole benefit behind having a robust build, as it also helped Cro-Magnons traverse difficult and dangerous terrain, as well as help them take down prey with greater ease. Which is especially important, considering that the remains of bones from their prey indicated that they primarily targeted larger megafaunal animals, like horses, reindeer, bison, aurochs, ibex, and occasionally even woolly mammoths, who as you know, were a giant to say the least. Additionally, we even have frozen carcasses with both pre- and post-mortem injuries attributed to human activity, which just confirms that these guys were very capable killers. And not even the top predators of the time were safe, as different kinds of felines, hyenas, and bears were known victims too, with a common method of killing having been through stone and bone-made spears. Another common trend among their prey is that many of them are now extinct, either locally, such as in the case of hyenas, or completely, like in the case of woolly mammoths and aurochs. And these extinctions are often at least partially attributed to these early humans, which unfortunately, as you most likely know, is a trend that has continued into present-day populations as well. And in fact, it is currently believed that 48% of all species have declining populations, with 28% of them being currently threatened by extinction. And while I love talking about extinct animals, I think we have a pretty expansive list to learn from already. Which is why I've decided to partner again with our good friend Planet Wild. Planet Wild is crowdfunding for nature conservation, and it operates by offering a paid membership in which funds are given to a new project partner every month. These projects take place around the world, but a recent favorite of mine was actually in the US, in Montana. You might not know this, but America was once home to vast grasslands that collectively made up an area of around 240 million acres, which is almost the size of Texas and California combined. Unfortunately though, over time, much of it was destroyed, with large portions being turned into cattle farms. However, Planet Wild has partnered with the organization American Prairie to help bring that back. And they are actively buying old cattle ranches, and then helping to transform them back into their natural state, and provide a safe haven for endangered native animals. And this is only one of the many projects that you can support, and they release new ones every month. They're also 100% transparent about how your funds are used. Each month they make a video on YouTube showing you how the community contributions were used, and how the community's contribution was put together. I've been a member for a while, and I think it's an absolutely great way for individuals to get involved in conservation. So if you want to protect Mother Nature, I highly recommend signing up. You are free to give whatever amount, big or small, as every dollar counts. And as a special welcome, I will cover the first month for the first 150 people that sign up. So scan the QR code on the screen, use my code EXTINCT1, or click the link in the description or pinned comment. But their means of killing was by no means restricted to just spears, as they had achieved remarkable mastery over various ranged and melee-based weapons, which included spear throwers, javelins, clubs, blades, nets, boomerangs, and possibly primitive bows. And it didn't end here either, as each weapon usually came in various forms, with some having specialized points, others tailored grips, and so on. But, unfortunately, the use of these weapons, and the strength of chromagnin, wasn't always limited to just being used on other animals, as like modern humans, chromagnins had the potential to become prehistoric murderers. And actually, remember that skull fracture that I talked about earlier? Well, it turns out that skull fractures, and head injuries in general, were not uncommon at all, and sometimes appeared to be human-made. One of the most clear cases of this, is seen in Chromagnin-2, a male specimen over 30,000 years old, who had a severe injury to the front of his face. Based on the shape, it's believed to have been caused by a slow, but power-packed blunt force weapon, that didn't kill him outright, but definitely sealed his fate, as he died well before the wound had fully healed. And during this time of dying, he showed signs of enduring intracranial hemorrhaging, and brain hematomas. And other crushed-in-skulls are known of as well, and the head seems to have been attacker's target of choice. Though, sometimes death came from below the head, as seen in another specimen, Sungir-1, who was found with a deep cut to his thoracic vertebrae, that would have immediately cut off circulation to his brain. The fact that the Ice Age was so harsh, may have perpetuated a lot of this violence, and encounters could have happened over vital resources, and societal assets, such as land, mating rights, and food. And I am sure a few of you can at least relate to fighting over food, but for Chromagnins, things were a bit darker. As certain evidence points to, the grim possibility that victims may have ended up as food themselves. This stems from the discovery of human skull caps, in the Gough Cave of England, which are dated to about 15,000 years ago, and likely would have been used as either drinking cups, or eating bowls. And the sinisterness did not end here, as other grizzly fossils were found in the same cave, which showed that human bodies had been fully processed and butchered, with the soft meat, tendons, and muscles being meticulously removed with knives, while the bones were gnawed upon and cracked open in order to access the bone marrow within. And the worst part of it all, is that of the apparent three victims, two of them were pretty darn young. So maybe, people back then didn't always use their power for good, kind of like now. And another testament to this didn't include ourselves per se, but a close relative, the Neanderthals, who co-existed with Chromagnins in Europe for thousands of years. The relationship between these two has always been a curious one, seeing that Neanderthals vanished not so long after they arrived, which leads some to assume that prehistoric warfare was at least a potential factor in their demise. And while this isn't believed to be the main factor anymore, we don't think that violence was absent, as in recent times, Chromagnin had become the main suspect in a 50,000 year old cold case involving a Neanderthal. This poor bloke was discovered with a nasty rib injury, seemingly caused by a stone point weapon that killed him relatively quickly. And while that doesn't seem much to go on, researchers have hypothesized that based off of the angle of the injury, and signs that it was caused by low kinetic energy, that it's safe to say that the weapon had been ranged. An important find, as Neanderthals were known not to have used ranged weapons, while Chromagnin on the other hand did. And thus the leading idea has become that a spear or dart thrown by a Chromagnin had killed a Neanderthal. This homicide also points out the advantage that ranged tools would have given anatomically modern humans, despite them having been less durable and strong than the Neanderthals. Additionally, it seems that Neanderthal was potentially on the menu as well, as a recovered Neanderthal jawbone bore cut marks eerily similar to what was seen in deer carcasses butchered by Chromagnins, with the cutting technique having been nearly identical, and therefore leading researchers to believe that this specimen was eaten by modern humans. Now I will say that it's definitely not conclusive, as the jaw could have been used for some sort of trophy, instead of actually being consumed. Plus, the cut marks, while human-like, is not a guarantee that the Neanderthal was killed and could have been already dead. And ultimately, while the two did have some violent encounters, their general interactions come across as pretty mundane, and based on genetic evidence, we even see signs of interbreeding amongst them. Specifically, it was the older Chromagnins that had a closer relationship with Neanderthals, and a direct sign of this is seen with a 40,000 year old specimen named Oase 1, who was around 9% Neanderthal, suggesting a Neanderthal ancestor as recent as 4 generations back, so basically their great-great-grandparent. And it's actually these high percentages that have resulted in the speculation that the earliest members had features slightly reminiscent of Neanderthals themselves, as old Chromagnin specimens had slightly flattened skull caps and subsequently occipital buns that protruded from the back of the skull, just like what was seen in Neanderthals. But over time, these features disappeared, as did the high amount of Neanderthal genes. And simultaneously, there are other characteristics that made them unique also gradually lessened, including their marked robustness. These changes are also likely tied, though, to the last glacial maximum, which caused major habitat loss and put a lot of strain on Chromagnin communities. However, they did retain certain distinct traits, including fairly sturdy jaws and heads. These larger skulls would have housed relatively big teeth that were likely used to process the large amount of meat and tough foods that they ate, which beyond animals, included hard nuts, seeds, and roots. On top of chompers, their big heads further supported something much more important and interesting than their diet, their brains. What's so perplexing about Chromagnin brains is that they were absolutely massive, being even bigger than our own, and are in fact more comparable to the brains seen in Neanderthals, with the average brain case having been about 1,514 cubic centimeters, while the present-day average is only 1,350 cubic centimeters. What largely accounted for this volume difference was their supersized occipital and frontal lobes, which were significantly longer than ours, and are associated with a myriad of controls and functions. However, truthfully, no one really knows how their brain sizes impact their cognition or behavior, but what we can assume is that they were at least as intelligent as modern humans, and currently, five distinct cultures spanning approximately 40,000 years are attributed to them, which includes Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean, Epigravettian, and Magdalenian. Across the board, remarkable feats were achieved by each one, and the intelligence of Chromagnins is also reflected by the weapons I mentioned earlier. Yet it's not always what you make that demonstrates you're smart, but rather how you use it. And I say this because Chromagnins literally figured out how to schedule mass killing events that coincided with the migratory patterns of megafauna, using game-drive tactics to corner large prey into confined spaces like a cliff wall or body of water, which allowed them to then kill multiple big animals with ease. And then, during the off-seasons, they also figured out when fish were the most plentiful, resulting in a good chunk of their nutrition having come from it. And there is also the chance that certain groups would have followed and lived alongside herds, so that when they needed a fresh kill, they didn't have to travel very far. And plants, while less vocal, definitely still felt the wrath of their intelligence, as Chromagnins learned to process a huge variety of plant-based foods, which we now know include at least 150 different kinds of seeds, fruits, nuts, and starches. And then to top it all off, Chromagnins most likely domesticated a dog too, as multiple Paleolithic dogs are associated with them, including a 36,000 year old specimen from Belgium. Meanwhile, a 15,000 year old dog was found buried alongside a man and woman, a good indicator that man's best friend played a vital role in Chromagnin society, perhaps through hunting and guarding camps. And speaking of camps, the Chromagnins had those pretty well figured out too, sometimes living in caves and other times open air sites, where they constructed large huts primarily made of mammoth skulls and bones, which could then be lined with grass or animal pelts in order to create primitive bedding and insulation. Dwellings often came with an indoor hearth and working area as well, cause you know, gotta be productive in the ice age. But what was included in the interior design often seems to be restricted by the size of the hut, with smaller ones usually having no additional areas. These mini homes were crucial as they were the main places for people to get warm and stay warm, with literal fires being found inside many of them, as opposed to being made outside. This might sound like a good reason to never step outside the comfort of your home, but the rest of the camp still held plenty of uses, and sites were typically divided up into specific areas, with hearths, kitchens, sleeping grounds, and butchering grounds getting their own designated areas. There's also the evidence that populations would routinely create multiple different camps, so that they could seasonally move between different ones, allowing themselves not to be tied to just one residence and allowing them to make the best of seasonality. And based on the number of skeletons we know of, scientists reckon that these settlements were often quite small in manpower, with residents numbering no more than a few dozen each. Yet, this seemed to still do the trick, and you didn't have to worry about a lack of social life either, as Cro-Magnon communities often interacted with one another through trade. And this wasn't some mealy trade here and there, but rather full-fledged trading routes that spanned across the entire continent, with raw materials being known to be sourced from groups over 120 miles or 200 kilometers away from another. These raw materials greatly varied in their usage, but what's fascinating is that for some groups, it seems like this trade was absolutely crucial, as it's hypothesized that some groups relied so much on trade that they would have perished without it, especially during the last glacial maximum, as the climate slowly deteriorated, resulting in people relying more and more on trade to acquire vital tools and resources. Trading also showed that despite living in one of the most brutal environments known to man, people still managed to thrive and enjoy the finer things in life, such as art, clothing, and even jewelry, as all of these things were found to be shared and traded between multiple settlements. Art in particular seemed to have been a big thing for Cro-Magnons, and many forms of it have been found, including on their actual bodies. They would use large pieces of pigments, primarily made of red ochre, to decorate their torsos, face, and limbs, with designs ranging from simple dots to more complex pieces like animal or human figures. Tattooing, scarification, and piercings were present as well, but to a lesser degree, perhaps because they could lead to infections. And as you might know, they were also quite accomplished cave artists, and many caves have been found with their work, including a famous one discovered within the Chauvet Cave of France. In these pieces of art, animals seem to have been a favorite subject for them, and the art often depicted lions, deer, mammoths, horses, aurochs, and bison. And even more rare, strange creatures, like seemingly hybrid creatures with human parts, are not unheard of either. And speaking of human parts, Cro-Magnon had quite the fascination with at least some of them, namely the genitalia. Ever heard of Venus figurines? Well, those were the Cro-Magnons doing, and they did them for thousands of years. But, if erotic art isn't up your alley, then it's a good thing that these people managed to master a few more leisurely activities as well, including music. Now, they weren't the first humans to play music, but they might have had the most complex forms of it up until that point, as like their weapons, their instruments can be found in many shapes and forms, with flutes, whistles, idiophones, drums, and bull roars being just a handful of the known instruments. These items allowed Ice Age musicians to create an impressive amount of different sounds and likely songs. And actually, their musical tech was so advanced that scientists believe that we're missing a boatload of musical history, as to them, there is no way that all of a sudden Cro-Magnons had the musical capacity that they did. And if you want to hear what their music sounded like, here's a reconstruction of one Not so bad, right? So obviously, these Cro-Magnons had things pretty figured out, in spite of the Ice Age raging around them, which may lead one to wonder, where exactly did they go? Well, they didn't really go anywhere, and they were exceptionally successful throughout the late Pleistocene. Yes, the last glacial maximum did curb some of the areas in which they could live, due to the extreme cold, but besides that, they did pretty good, and managed to maintain very high fertility rates over thousands of years, and far outpacing what was seen in the coexisting Neanderthals, which is perhaps one of the reasons why they eventually became the dominant humans in Europe, with their growth leading to the overall population of the continent jumping by a factor of 10. And by 13,000 years ago, there might have been over 70,000 Cro-Magnons roaming the land. A small number today, but a massive one back then. And unlike many early human groups that pretty much just died out, scientists think that Cro-Magnon were eventually just absorbed by later European populations that migrated there. And we currently believe that the chronology of Cro-Magnons would have started with the Argonatian culture, which was followed by the Gravettian, then Solutrean, then Epigravettian, and finally the Magdalenian, which is considered to be the last Cro-Magnon culture, taking place between 17,000 and 12,000 years ago. After that, Cro-Magnon DNA became less prevalent. But it does turn out that significant genetic descendants of this last society continued all the way to the Neolithic, as seen in remains from France and Spain. And now, modern populations carry much less of their genetic legacy, but still, a remnant continues throughout many European populations. Thanks for watching, and until next time, on ExtinctZoo.