New study challenges Neanderthal non-carnivory

According to a study published Monday in PNAS, a team led by Klevia Jaouen of CNRS found that the Neanderthals of what is now Spain may not have been the plant-eating peninsulars that other studies suggest.

Earlier research teams examined the dental tartar of preserved Neanderthal teeth, and their findings suggested a heavily plant-based if not entirely vegetarian diet.

The present work examined a single tooth from a Neanderthal who lived at the Gabasa site. They examined the proportion of zinc isotopes in that tooth and found the very low ratio consistent with an individual who ate almost nothing but meat. Other examinations of the tooth showed that it was unlikely the individual consumed blood. Examination of non-Neanderthal bones found at the site showed that the marrow could have been eaten as well.

This is the firt time that zinc isotope analysis has been used to examine the diet of an individual Neanderthal. Jaouen’s team is confident this method can distinguish carnivores from omnivores.

They plan to examine other Neanderthal remains from the Payre site in France next.