Hunted by Neanderthals, giant elephants travelled hundreds of miles across Europe

Neanderthals hunted giant elephants and pursued them over hundreds of miles across Europe, according to a new study of fossils unearthed in Germany.

Previous research confirmed that Neanderthals hunted elephants for food in several regions of Europe. But what kind of elephants were frequently on their menu, and how they hunted them, remained unclear.

The Neanderthal ecological footprint across Europe is also not completely clear. The study shows the human ancestors as active hunters and gatherers operating within a rich lakeshore ecosystem.

Researchers found that Neanderthals systematically hunted large mammals, including giant straight-tusked elephants, the largest land animals in Europe at the time.

They hunted the beasts on a bigger bigger scale than previously believed, butchering animal carcasses found at different locations across Europe.

The new study analysed the different forms of carbon, oxygen, strontium and proteins found at the Neumark-Nord fossil site in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt area to reconstruct the migration behaviour, diet, and sex of dozens of prehistoric giant elephants.

Analysis of the elephant molars showed they had spent several years in different regions of Europe.