125,000 years ago, Neanderthals were hunting straight-tusked elephants

A new analysis these elephant remains found in ancient lake deposits in Germany shows that hunting these enormous animals was part of the Neanderthals’ culture for thousands of years.

Neanderthals were skilled hunters, and they were not afraid to take on large prey. In fact, new evidence¹ suggests that Neanderthals may have hunted straight-tusked elephants, one of the largest land mammals of the Pleistocene epoch.

The evidence comes from a study of bones found at a site in Germany. The bones show that the elephants were killed by human…