An archaeological discovery in Portugal rewrites the history of Neanderthals.

It's on a pristine stretch of Portugal's southwest coast that an international team of scientists and archaeologists has uncovered a millennia-old secret. Among the dunes of Monte Clérigo and Praia do Telheiro, they discovered the first Neanderthal footprints ever discovered in the region, traces that date back approximately 82,000–78,000 years .

They walked on the wet sand, hunted, moved in groups: those footprints, imprinted in the stone, tell an extraordinary story of prehistoric life on the ocean shore.

The discovery of Neanderthal footprints

According to the study published in Scientific Reports, the team discovered footprints at the sites of Monte Clérigo and Praia do Telheiro, Portugal , preserved in fossilized sandstone. Specifically, at the Monte Clérigo site, they found the footprints of an adult , a child between seven and nine years old, and a toddler under two.

The footprint left by the child revealed surprising details: the foot was not yet fully developed and lacked the arch typical of modern humans , a feature that confirms what was already known about the evolution of the foot in Neanderthals during childhood. What's more, the presence of such a young child alongside adults suggests that these ancient humans lived in small family groups , where even the youngest actively participated in daily life.

They accompanied their parents on their travels, observed, learned, and began to acquire the skills needed to survive in an often hostile environment from an early age. This is an exceptional discovery also because it highlights a new piece of information about Neanderthals : fossilized footprints in ancient sandstones show how these ancient humans explored the coastal landscape , probably planning their journeys and hunting trips among the dunes .

What does this discovery reveal to us?

The footprints found by the team of scientists and archaeologists demonstrate that Neanderthals lived near the sea and exploited the resources offered by the coastal environment. However, analyses of faunal remains found at sites along the coast of the Iberian Peninsula using a method called "network analysis" reveal an interesting fact about their diet, which primarily consisted of large herbivores such as deer, horses, and aurochs (a now extinct species of cattle), as well as hares.

The constant presence of these mammals suggests that they represented a reliable food source, regardless of the diverse environments in which Neanderthals settled, as the study emphasizes. At the same time, they did not disdain marine animals from surrounding habitats, such as mollusks and fish, indicating a flexible feeding strategy well-adapted to local resources.

Furthermore, the footprints indicate that the dunes were used as hunting grounds: thanks to their sparse vegetation and irregular relief, they were considered ideal places to approach prey without being seen . This dynamic is also confirmed at other sites such as Matalascañas, Spain , where Neanderthal footprints have been discovered alongside stone tools and the remains of hunted animals.

This research adds new insights into Neanderthal life and reinforces the idea that humanity was much more adaptable than previously thought, capable of making the most of coastal resources and modulating their diet based on food availability.