Scientists Revealed What Neanderthal Penises Looked Like and What Sex Was Like with Representatives of the Ancient Species (5 photos)

Today, there is only one species of human - homo sapiens. But about 60 thousand years ago, we came face to face with Neanderthals and even copulated with them.





This ancient relative had a large nose, powerful brow ridges, and a stocky build. And although the Neanderthal genitals have not been preserved in fossils, they were not much different anatomically from humans.

Dr Andrew Merriweather, an anthropologist at Binghamton University in New York, said Neanderthals and sapiens were "incredibly similar": "They are virtually identical to us in most respects, so I think the soft parts were the same as humans."



Professor Guido Barbujani, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Ferrera in Italy, said: "Genitalia are not preserved in fossils, and there is no way to know what they looked like in Neanderthals. Sometimes evolution happens very quickly, but I doubt it would have changed the reproductive organs very much."





The history of Neanderthals and the details of their encounters with Homo sapiens remain largely a mystery. However, we do know that 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens migrated from Africa to Eurasia, where they encountered Neanderthals.

When the two species first encountered each other, they likely used basic verbal communication.

"Neanderthals probably knew how to speak, which we can judge from the morphology of their bones and from the results of studying their brains," said Alessia Nava, an anthropologist at the University of Rome.



Marks on ancient skulls and weapon marks suggest that Neanderthals and sapiens engaged in brutal fights. But love affairs were also common.

"We certainly assume that the copulation was consensual," says Paul Pettitt, professor of archaeology at Durham University. "It may not have been, and one of the 'partners' had no choice in the matter. In the prehistoric world, copulation may have occurred without much thought or intent. If it was consensual, then we can assume there was foreplay - kissing and hugging."

Chimpanzees, relatives of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, often display such affection.



Whatever the circumstances, we know they had viable offspring. That's why modern humans have a small amount of Neanderthal DNA.

The two species began interbreeding about 50,500 years ago and continued to do so for about 7,000 years until the Neanderthals began to die out. Experts believe they were vulnerable to climate change or were losing brutal battles with sapiens for resources like food and shelter.

Professor Pettitt even considers humans and Neanderthals to be one species: "The fact that Neanderthals had different bones and brains from humans does not mean that they were different biological species. Perhaps we should consider the human picture 50-40,000 years ago as a mosaic of "mestizo" populations - largely identical biologically, but with different genetic adaptations to environmental conditions."