Overview
- The Science Advances study examined four straight-tusked elephant molars from the 125,000-year-old Neumark-Nord site in Germany.
- Strontium, carbon, and oxygen isotope records traced multi-year movements, with some elephants arriving after journeys of up to roughly 300 kilometers.
- Paleoproteomic signals in tooth enamel identified sex, revealing three males and one likely female and indicating male-biased wider ranging.
- The movement data and the site's dense elephant remains with extensive butchery support organized, repeated Neanderthal hunting and large-scale fat processing.
- Researchers have begun DNA work on the Neumark elephants to clarify population dynamics and strengthen conclusions drawn from the limited isotopic sample.