# I know what killed the Neaderthals!!!!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-what-killed-the-neaderthals/74923>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 4, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-what-killed-the-neaderthals/74923 "2001-08-04T21:14:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-what-killed-the-neaderthals/74923/21 "2001-08-12T09:34:51Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Muffin \*  
> \*\*Reconstructing the face of the Gibraltar 2 (Devil’s Tower) Neanderthal child:  
> [http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/staff/zolli/CAP/Gib2.htm](http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/staff/zolli/CAP/Gib2.htm)
> 
> Slow loading, and the finished reconstruction pic is at the bottom of the page, but worth waiting for. \*\*

Holy shit, it’s the Feral Kid from Road Warrior!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2001, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-what-killed-the-neaderthals/74923/22 "2001-08-12T09:46:41Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ssj\_man2k \*  
> \*\*  
> And actually, the stench you were talking about in the original OP probably would’ve helped them, if anything. Unlike today, our stench acted as pharamones, attracting mates rather than repelling them. So, the neanderthals wouldv’e attracted more mates, rather than get blind from sweat and die. \*\*

Been meaning to reply to this but got side-tracked. Anyway, IIRC even neanderthals and other pre-historic humans made an effort to cover up body odor. Even if they didn’t, a neanderthal would have an odor which could be detected from a greater distance than a human. This means that if humans were planning on ambushing the neanderthals, they’d be able to sniff them out from a greater distance than the neanderthals could the humans.

If the neanderthals did try to mask their b.o., it’d take more flowers or whatever they might use, and they’d have to spend more of their time and energy gathering up such things, thus diverting them from mating and food gathering.

(With apologies to **Jet Jaguar** for continuing to use the inaccurate “humans vs neanderthals” terminology.)

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-what-killed-the-neaderthals/74923.md?page=1)