Neanderthals Repurposed Cave Lion Bones Into “Multifunctional Tools” 130,000 Years Ago
''' Examples of prehistoric humans hunting large cats are extremely rare in the archaeological record, with the earliest known case coming from the famous Gran Dolina cave in Spain, where pre-Neanderthal hominids – most likely Homo heidelbergensis – killed lions (Panthera leo fossilis) around 300,000 years ago...
Later on, Neanderthals in Germany made a garment from the pelt of a cave lion (Panthera spelaea).
Yet the new study shows that some groups of Neanderthals may also have targeted cave lions because their bones were the perfect shape and size for making tools. This clan was clearly not afraid of massive predators, as the osseous collection found within Scladina cave also contains large numbers of tools made from the bones of cave bears !!
Describing the feline findings, the study authors explain that the long limb bones of a single adult cave lion were worked into “multifunctional” tools that were sequentially re-shaped and repurposed. In total, the researchers discovered four such tools, all of which are described as “retouchers”, meaning they were used to refine the edges of other tools... '''
