# @itsaihistory on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DUQo2MdDi3d
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61744573-itsaihistory-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/09385a4ed7.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-02-02T15:07:32.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Parker Gordon (@itsaihistory) — https://gondola.cc/itsaihistory

## Caption

🧬 Neanderthal in Real Life | Homo neanderthalensis

What you’re seeing:
A close-up reconstruction of an adult male Neanderthal in a cold, cave-side environment. The face is built around the traits described in the fossil record: a prominent brow ridge, a large mid-face, angled cheekbones, and a large nose.

Who were Neanderthals?
Neanderthals were our closest extinct human relative and a distinct human species: Homo neanderthalensis.

When did they live?
About 400,000 to 40,000 years ago.
Where did they live?
Across Europe and southwestern to central Asia.
How big were they?
Average height: males 5 ft 5 in (164 cm), females 5 ft 1 in (155 cm).
Average weight: males 143 lb (65 kg), females 119 lb (54 kg).

What made them different from us?
They were typically shorter and stockier than modern humans, and their brains were as large as ours and often larger, proportional to their brawnier bodies. Brain size ranges reported for late Neanderthals are at least 1,200 cm³ to 1,750 cm³.

How did they live?
They made and used sophisticated tools controlled fire, lived in shelters, made and wore clothing, hunted large animals, and also ate plant foods. Evidence includes hunting tools like wooden spears, butchered big-game remains, isotopic analyses indicating a meat-heavy diet, and starch grains found in dental plaque.

Do we share DNA with them?
DNA has been recovered from more than a dozen Neanderthal fossils (reported from Europe), and some people today have inherited around 2% Neanderthal DNA.

How were they discovered?
Early finds include 1829 (Engis, Belgium) and 1848 (Forbes’ Quarry, Gibraltar). A specimen discovered in 1856 in Germany was recognized as unusual, and in 1864 the species was formally named Homo neanderthalensis (after the Neander Valley).

Discrepancies:
• Hair, skin tone, bone structure, eye color, and exact clothing construction are reconstructions.

🎥 All visuals are original AI-assisted recreations produced by itsaihistory for educational and documentary purposes.

#history #itsaihistory #neanderthals #archaeology #reels

Sources: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and Natural History Museum (London)

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- **Likes:** 5,114
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- **Comments:** 110

## Tags

history, archaeology, itsaihistory, neanderthals, reels

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