Neanderthals consumed a relatively consistent mix of plants and animals throughout their history and across different regions, with little change in their food choices over time or location.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Neanderthals ate the same kinds of plants and animals everywhere because their bodies weren't built to handle a wide variety of foods. Their teeth and digestion worked best on a narrow set of resources, so even when the environment changed, they kept eating what their bodies could process.
Most probable mechanism
Neanderthals had a body that could only efficiently process a narrow range of foods, so they kept eating the same kinds of plants and animals no matter where they lived or how the environment changed, because their bodies couldn't adapt to new ones.
Dental wear patterns and microfossil residues in calculus indicate consistent consumption of a limited set of plant and animal resources across diverse environments.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche.
Contradicting (0)
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Gold Standard Evidence Needed
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