Scientists uncovered "surprising" evidence at an archaeological site in Spain that Neanderthals, modern humans' closest relatives, adapted to harsh climate conditions and hunted a larger array of animals than previously believed, according to reports.
The new findings about the Neanderthals, who lived in Eurasia until disappearing about 40,000 years ago, were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
Neanderthals, who mated with Homo sapiens, were believed to be more primitive and less complex than today's relatives, but recent studies have challenged that notion.
The new study found the Neanderthals made intricate tools and exploited their environment to take advantage of a wide range of plants and animals, rather than just hunting large game like horses and rhinoceros.
"The animal bones we have recovered indicate that they were successfully exploiting the surrounding fauna, hunting red deer, horses, and bison, but also eating freshwater turtles and rabbits, which imply a degree of planning rarely considered for Neanderthals," Sofia Samper Carro, of The Australian National University and the lead author on the report, said in a statement.
Well preserved bones found on the site contained marks of how the Neanderthals processed their kills and other analysis fashioned tools that allowed them to thrive in their environment.
"They clearly knew what they were doing," Samper Carro said. "They knew the area and how to survive for a long time."
The site in Spain, in the foothills of the Southern Pyrenees, was discovered in 2008 and has been studied since.
At Abric Pizarro, one of a few sites around the world dating from 100,000 to 65,000 years ago, researchers compiled numerous artifacts, stone tools, animal bones and other evidence shedding new light on the life of Neanderthals.
