Message #191057

[Charmaine]

Blasco, a researcher at the Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain, and colleague Josep Fernandez Peris analyzed the duck bones under high magnification. They determined three characteristics allow the bird remains to be considered duck dinner leftovers.

First, they found "cutmarks on bones of both the front and hind limb."

Second, they identified the "presence of burning patterns on the extremities of the bones, areas of the skeleton with less meat."

Finally, the researchers discovered "human tooth marks on limb bones."

Although both Neanderthal and modern human remains have been found at the Bolomor Cave complex, the geological level of the roasted duck finds suggests that Homo heidelbergensis is the human species that ate the duck meals.