Neanderthals Also Hunt Aquatic Animals

Shells of Patella Vulgata found from the Cueva de Figueira Brava

Previously, many evidences suggested that the Neanderthals were very skilled hunters. Many evidences has confirmed that they take down mammoths, Woolly Rhinos and other megafauna for meals. Their hunting skills makes them the ultimate king of Europe during the Ice Age Period. But an analysis of their leftovers from a coastal cave in Portugal opens a new dimensions of the Neanderthals dominance in Europe. 

About 100,000 years ago, Cueva de Figueira Brava, which is some 20 miles South from Lisbon, in Portugal, was housed Neanderthals. During a recent excavation a team of scientists uncovered more than 560 fish bones as well as remains from crabs, sea-birds, clams, mussels, seals, waterfowl and dolphins. The findings suggests seas creatures claimed a special place on their dinner menus. 

Distribution of Neanderthals in Europe

Back in 1980s, these site had been discovered and identified as Neanderthal Shelter. But in that time no fish remains was found. Many researchers claimed that Neanderthals did not have the skill to catch fish as Humans. But the recent discovery is destroying all the previous theory on the hunting skill of Neanderthals in the marine ecosystem. 

Ancient Rainforest in Antarctic During Mid-Cretaceous

South Pole During Mid-Cretaceous

A new discovery suggests that around 90 million years ago, which was known as the mid-Cretaceous Period (115-80 million years ago), there was a rainforest near the South Pole which is commonly known as Antarctic.

A team of scientists from Europe unearthed forest soil by drilling into the seabed near the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers in Western part of Antarctica. The unearthed soil was collected from a particular core of sediment whose one section caught attention with its unusual colour. They CT scanned the section of the core and discovered a dense network of fossil roots. They extracted the preserved roots, pollen and spores from the soil and analyse them. The report shows that the world at that time was a lot warmer than previously thought.

During mid-Cretaceous, the temperatures in the tropical areas are very high. It might be around 35 degrees Celsius. For the past 140 million years it was the warmest period. However, very little was known about the Antarctic Circle environment so far. This discovery of a temperate rainforest in the region also raising a question that how the entire ecosystem runs there as one third of every year there was no life giving sunlight at all.

Now the existence of the temperate rainforest suggesting average temperatures were at least around 12 degrees Celsius. It means, during mid-Cretaceous there was likely to be no ice at the South Pole. Even during the absence of Sun, these swampy temperate rainforests were able to grow. This strongly suggesting that the world of mid-Cretaceous had even warmer climate than we expected earlier.

Antarctica without Ice Cover