During the last interglacial period, around 125,000 years ago, Europe was home to an astonishing array of megafauna, including the massive straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus). These enormous creatures, significantly larger than modern elephants, were the largest land mammals of prehistoric Europe. A new international study analyzing the fossilized teeth of these giants has revealed not only their extensive migration patterns but also provided compelling further evidence of organized hunting by Neanderthals.
The research, led by a team of scientists from institutions including the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE) and Goethe University Frankfurt, focused on the Neumark-Nord site in northeastern Germany. This area, once a rich lake landscape, has yielded the remains of over 70 straight-tusked elephants. By examining the teeth of four individuals (three males and one likely female) the team reconstructed their life histories using innovative isotope and paleoproteomics analyses, publishing their findings in Science Advances.
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Tracing Prehistoric Migration Routes
The study's findings indicate that these giant elephants were not stationary creatures. Strontium isotope analyses, which act as a "travel diary" preserved in tooth enamel, showed that some individuals traveled vast distances. "Some of the elephants we studied were animals that did not stay in just one area," explained Federico Lugli, associate professor at UNIMORE and a corresponding author of the study. "Their teeth show that they traveled very long distances – up to 300 kilometers – before reaching what is now Neumark-Nord."
This extensive mobility, particularly among the males, mirrors the behavior of modern African elephants, where adult males often roam widely in search of resources and mates. The ability to track these movements offers unprecedented insights into how these colossal animals interacted with their environment and utilized the Pleistocene landscape.
Neanderthals as Apex Predators
The high concentration of elephant remains at Neumark-Nord, combined with their isotope profiles, paints a compelling picture of Neanderthal hunting strategies. It appears these early humans were not merely opportunistic scavengers but highly organized predators capable of taking down the largest land animals of their time.
Elena Armaroli, a postdoctoral researcher at UNIMORE and the study's first author, stated, "The concentration of remains and the isotope profile of the animals suggest that Neanderthals did not kill the elephants merely when a favorable opportunity arose. Everything points to organized hunting in which even such enormous prey animals could be deliberately targeted."
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Dr. Lutz Kindler documenting fragments of Palaeoloxodon antiquus teeth discovered in Taubach. (© Wil Roebroeks, Leiden University)
Successfully hunting a 13-ton straight-tusked elephant would have required profound knowledge of the landscape, extensive cooperation, and meticulous planning. This challenges older, outdated views of Neanderthals, highlighting their remarkable cognitive abilities and complex social structures.
A Complex Prehistoric Ecosystem
The ongoing research at Neumark-Nord continues to illuminate the rich ecological footprint of Neanderthals. Previous studies have demonstrated that these early humans systematically butchered animal carcasses and extracted fat on a large scale, essentially running prehistoric "fat factories." They also consumed a variety of plant foods and may have even modified their environment using fire.
"What we see at Neumark-Nord is not a picture of mere survival, but of a population that understood its environment and interacted with it actively and in complex ways over a period of at least 2,500 years," noted Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser, a study author and professor of prehistoric archaeology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
To further unravel the population dynamics of these ancient elephants and their relationship with Neanderthal hunters, the research team has initiated genetic studies. As these investigations progress, our understanding of the sophisticated lives of both Neanderthals and the giant elephants they hunted will undoubtedly continue to evolve.
Top image: 125,000 years ago, straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) populated the prehistoric Europe. Source: Hodari Nundu/CC-BY-4.0
By Gary Manners
References
Armaroli, E. et al. 2026. Life histories of straight-tusked elephants from the Last Interglacial Neanderthal site of Neumark-Nord (~125 ka). Science Advances. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adz0114
Goethe University Frankfurt. 2026. Hunted by Neanderthals: Giant Elephants traveled hundreds of Kilometers across Ice-Age Europe. Available at: https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/en/english/hunted-by-neanderthals-giant-elephants-traveled-hundreds-of-kilometers-across-ice-age-europe/
Hale, T. 2026. Neanderthals Ran A Giant "Fat Factory" – And They Knew Exactly Where to Find Their Elephant Prey. IFLScience. Available at: https://www.iflscience.com/ancient-elephants-traveled-300-kilometers-across-europe-and-neanderthals-were-ready-for-them-82870
Gaudzinski-Windheuser, et al. 2023. Widespread evidence for elephant exploitation by Last Interglacial Neanderthals on the North European plain. PNAS. Available at: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2309427120
