00:04Neanderthals were the pre-eminent hominids walking around the planet more than 100,000
00:08years ago.
00:08Now, researchers say, based on remains they've found of what are most often referred to as
00:12straight-tusked elephants, or giant prehistoric creatures that were nearly twice the size
00:16of modern African elephants, it appears Neanderthals worked together to bring down such immense
00:21creatures.
00:22Straight-tusked elephants stood some 13 feet tall, meaning they had quite a bit of meat
00:26on their bones.
00:27Four tons of meat, to be exact, which is why experts say it would have literally taken
00:31some 25 prehistoric people around three to five days to skin and then preserve the meat
00:36for long-term consumption, which points to Neanderthals being far more intelligent than
00:40we previously thought, as food preservation, likely via drying, is a much more sophisticated
00:44process than most believe them capable of.
00:47And archaeologists have found 125,000-year-old evidence of this process, discovering myriad
00:52charcoal fires at the dig site, where the bones of the giant elephants were found.
00:56In fact, the bones also clue in that the group were targeting only adult male straight-tusked
01:00elephants as well.
01:01No doubt for their size, but it also means the meat wasn't scavenged.
01:05Researchers say one of these elephants could have fed a group of 100 people for an entire
01:09month.
01:10.
01:11.
01:12.
Comments