What’s the Difference Between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals?

Recreation of a Neanderthal woman

When our prehistoric ancestors first emerged some 300,000 years ago, at least nine species of humans walked our planet. These included Homo sapiens (that’s us) as well as Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo antecessor, Homo floresiensis (nicknamed “the hobbits”), and Homo neanderthalensis. This latter species, otherwise known as the Neanderthals, is arguably the most famous of all our distant cousins. They are, after all, our closest extinct human relatives.

Fossil and genetic evidence indicates that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens evolved from a common ancestor between 700,000 and 300,000 years ago. And Neanderthal DNA is 99.7% identical to present-day human DNA. But the similarities don’t end there. Like Homo sapiens, Neanderthals lived in shelters, used fire in a controlled manner, and hunted and used tools. They may have even made art, including engravings and jewelry, although that remains an ongoing debate. We also know that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred, and that all modern humans likely have some Neanderthal DNA.

Despite these similarities, there are a number of differences between Neanderthals and our early ancestors, ranging from their physical features to their way of living.

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Body Shape

Fossil remains show that Neanderthals were shorter and stockier than us. Their bodies were thicker and broader, with a wider pelvis, more muscle, and heavier bones. It’s possible that this larger physical build came about as an adaptation to the ice age, as the bigger build would have helped to consolidate heat in cold environments. A recent study of the fossilized teeth of eight Neanderthal children suggests the species may also have matured physically faster than us, reaching adulthood a few years before modern human children do.

Facial Features

Neanderthals had a long, low skull that differed from the more rounded skull of Homo sapiens. This gave rise to the prominent brow ridge above their eyes, one of the defining characteristics of the species. Other distinctive facial features included a large middle part of the face, angled cheek bones, large front teeth, and a particularly large nose. Some scientists believe the large nose was an adaptation to living in colder, drier environments, as the nose’s extra internal volume would have helped to moisten and warm the air they breathed. Recent studies show that modern humans have inherited genetic material from Neanderthals that impacted the shape of our noses.

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Intelligence

Neanderthals were not the brutish “cave men” they have sometimes been portrayed as. They were actually an intelligent and accomplished species of human, and not wildly different from Homo sapiens in terms of their mental faculties. However, a 2022 study published in the journal Science revealed a slight but possibly profound difference in the brain development of modern humans and Neanderthals. A gene mutation in Homo sapiens allows for the development of more neurons in the neocortex, an area of the brain involved in cognitive function, and this mutation is not found in Neanderthals and other primates. This change in the wiring of the brain may have given Homo sapiens a cognitive advantage — and could be one of the reasons we survived while the Neanderthals went extinct some 40,000 years ago.

Lifestyle

Studies suggest that Neanderthals lived in small bands, and likely never formed the large groups that Homo sapiens favored. We don’t know exactly how much larger one group was compared to another, but we do know Neanderthals had lower genetic diversity, which implies smaller social groupings. The more robust and heavier build of the Neanderthals may have necessitated this, as they required more energy and therefore more food, making large groups less attainable (especially in times of scant resources).

According to Bernard Wood, a paleoanthropologist at George Washington University, Neanderthals needed 600 to 700 more calories a day than modern humans today. In other words, they were not nearly as energy efficient as Homo sapiens — something that could be catastrophic during a famine. And while we don’t know whether Neanderthals and Homo sapiens differed in terms of their levels of aggression, the fact that the latter formed larger bands would have given them an advantage if conflict between the two occurred. Studies also suggest that Homo sapiens were using ranged weapons, including the bow and arrow and spear-throwers, whereas the Neanderthals were not, giving them a substantive advantage when it came to hunting and potential conflict.