Hominids
Humans are scientifically classified as Homo sapiens. This means that humans are part of the Hominidae family. Thousands of years ago, there were other members of the Hominidae family alive as well.
Fossils are classified into species like Homo Habilis, Cro-Magnon, Homo erectus and Neanderthal. These other members of the Hominidae family are often called early man; many scientists refer to members of this family
as Hominids. These other Hominids share some similarities with us. For example, they often walked upright, survived as hunter-gatherers and used tools and fire. Neanderthals, or Homo Neandertalensis, are the closest extinct relatives to humans. They are believed to have made the first examples of modern human fossils ever found.
• Neanderthals are named after the town where
the first fossils were found, Neander Valley.
• They went extinct in 30,000 BCE.
• Scientists are not sure why they went extinct.
• Some modern humans have Neanderthal DNA
and ancestors.
• The first Neanderthal fossil was found in 1856
in Germany.
• They have thicker bones than modern-day
humans and were shorter.
• They were much stronger than modern humans
are.
• Males were usually 5’5”, and females were
5’1”.
• They lived in Europe and southwestern to
Central Asia.
• Their brains were larger than ours, so many
believe they were intelligent.
• They made tools and lived in complicated social
groups.
• Scientists think that they may have used
language.
• They also made cave art and buried their dead
with ceremonies.
• Neanderthals ate mostly meat and used tools
like axes and spears to hunt large animals.
Studying these fossils is important because it can tell scientists a lot about current humans. Scientists are comparing DNA from Neanderthals and modern humans to determine what makes us unique. Another important question is why these early hominids went extinct. There are many different theories like climate change, conflict with modern
humans and being more vulnerable to famine. Even though life was very different for Neanderthals than it is for us now, their past can help us in our future.
