S chwartz can rattle off a raft of anatomical differences between H. sapiens and Neanderthals: H. sapiens are flat-faced; the Neanderthal face sticks out. Neanderthals had boxy, stout bodies, and their major arm and leg bones were thick. H. sapiens, by contrast, have thinner, gracile bodies.
Full Answer
Neanderthals: The weight of the Neanderthal males was 143 lbs and that of Neanderthal females was 119 lbs. Homo sapiens: The weight of the males was 119-141 lbs and that of females was 168-183 lbs.
Homo neanderthalensis is commonly called Neanderthal. Homo sapiens is called ‘wise man’ in Latin: the only known extant human species. Neanderthal is the closest relative of humans.
1. Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History. Homo neanderthalensis | The Smithsonian Institutions Human Origins Program, 1 Mar. 2010, Available here. 2. Szalay, Jessie. “Neanderthals: Facts About Our Extinct Human Relatives. ” LiveScience, Purch, 13 Apr. 2016, Available here. 3. Bradshaw Foundation.
The main characteristic features of Neanderthals are their receding forehead and prominent brow ridges. Neanderthals skull also comprised a large middle part of the face, a huge nose, and angled cheek bones. Since Neanderthals lived in cold environments, their huge nose was used to humidify and warm the cold, dry air.
Neanderthals had boxy, stout bodies, and their major arm and leg bones were thick. H. sapiens, by contrast, have thinner, gracile bodies. Neanderthals had different teeth and thumb lengths, as well as longer collarbones.
Neanderthals, when compared to humans, were shorter in height and smaller in size. Humans have larger bodies when compared to Neanderthals, and have a significant difference in form and structure, especially in their skulls and teeth. Another significant difference in the human and Neanderthal is their DNA.
What they found was that the Neanderthal was nearly indistinguishable from Homo sapiens in the degree to which its bones had developed. From hands to knees, says Rosas, “the general pattern of growth is very similar to that of modern humans.”
Measurement of our braincase and pelvic shape can reliably separate a modern human from a Neanderthal - their fossils exhibit a longer, lower skull and a wider pelvis. Even the three tiny bones of our middle ear, vital in hearing, can be readily distinguished from those of Neanderthals with careful measurement.
Neanderthals were both shorter and thicker than we are, so while you might beat them on the basketball court, they could probably out-arm-wrestle you. The next thing you'd probably notice is a broad and flaring nose with large nostrils.
Neanderthals and humans both belong to the same genus Homo but are not the same species. Neanderthals (homo neanderthalensis) and humans (homo sapiens) are two separate species. Every person alive today is homo sapien.
Neanderthals have contributed approximately 1-4% of the genomes of non-African modern humans, although a modern human who lived about 40,000 years ago has been found to have between 6-9% Neanderthal DNA (Fu et al 2015).