Postcranial Evidence Of Cold Adaptation In European Neandertals

    Authors

    T. W. Holliday

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Am. J. Phys. Anthropol.

    Keywords

    ecogeographical patterning; body proportions; limb length; size and; shape; BERGMANNS RULE; CLIMATIC-CHANGE; BODY SIZE; EVOLUTION; SHAPE; Anthropology; Evolutionary Biology

    Abstract

    The low brachial and crural indices of the European Neandertals have long been considered indicative of cold adaptation. Recent work has documented lower limb/trunk ratios and deeper chests (anterior-posterior diameter) in European Neandertals than among their successors. The present study uses variables reflective of limb length, body mass and trunk height, and compares European Neandertals to 15 globally diverse recent human samples (1 ''Eskimo,'' 3 North African, 4 sub-Saharan African and 7 European). Bivariate plots, as well as principal components analysis plots of log shape-transformed data, indicate that European Neandertals had an overall body shape that falls at the extreme end of modern higher latitude groups' range of variation. Cluster analysis (minimum spanning tree on a principal coordinates plot) indicates that the Neandertals are closest in body shape to modern ''Eskimos,'' but even in this dendrogram, they are joined to the ''Eskimo'' via a long branch. In fact, it appears that European Neandertals were ''hyperpolar'' in body shape, likely due to two factors: 1) the extremely cold temperatures of glacial Europe and 2) less effective cultural buffering against cold stress. (C) 1997 Wiiey-Liss, Inc.

    Journal Title

    American Journal of Physical Anthropology

    Volume

    104

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-1997

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    245

    Last Page

    258

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:A1997YF57700009

    ISSN

    0002-9483

    Share

    COinS