High above the rolling valleys of the central Balkans, sheer limestone walls catch the sun. Three hundred thousand years ago, Neanderthals were already clambering across those slopes, hunting ibex in terrain no hominin had attempted before. A new analysis of the Velika Balanica cave in Serbia paints a vivid picture of their skill and adaptability (Milošević et al. 2025)1.
“The approach of hunting ibex is completely different, because it lives on a very rugged and steep, barren terrain,” said Stefan Milošević of the University of Belgrade. “Early Neanderthals were already exploiting ecological niches that no hominin had ever exploited before.”
“Early Neanderthals were already exploiting ecological niches that no hominin had ever exploited before.” — Stefan Milošević
“It reminds us that Neanderthal sophistication was not a late spark, but a deep-rooted flame.” — Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo
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