In popular imagination, Neanderthals are often portrayed as powerful hunters of cold steppes and forested valleys, masters of land but strangers to water. Yet mounting archaeological and anatomical evidence suggests that these robust hominins did not merely skirt the shoreline. They entered the water, worked in it, and likely relied on it. The lingering question is not whether they encountered aquatic environments, but how well their heavy, muscular bodies moved within them.  
  
In recent years, research on external auditory exostoses — bony growths inside the ear canal sometimes called “surfer’s ear” — has sparked renewed interest in Neanderthal aquatic behavior. A study led by Erik Trinkaus and colleagues found that nearly half of examined Neanderthal ear canals displayed these growths at levels far exceeding those typically seen in ancient or modern human populations. In living people, such formations are strongly associated with repeated exposure to cold water or cold, damp conditions. The implication is clear: Neanderthals were frequently in chilly aquatic settings, whether wading, diving, or working at the water’s edge.  
  
At the same time, archaeology has reinforced this picture. Coastal cave sites such as Figueira Brava in Portugal have yielded abundant remains of fish, shellfish, crabs, and even marine mammals associated with Neanderthal occupation layers. These deposits date to roughly 86,000–106,000 years ago and indicate deliberate, repeated harvesting of marine resources rather than accidental scavenging. Inland sites across Western Europe add freshwater fish and shellfish to the list. The once-familiar caricature of Neanderthals as purely terrestrial big-game hunters has given way to an image of adaptable foragers exploiting diverse ecosystems... More> [https://www.patreon.com/posts/were-natural-and-150679464?utm\_medium=clipboard\_copy&utm\_source=copyLink&utm\_campaign=postshare\_creator&utm\_content=join\_link](https://www.patreon.com/posts/were-natural-and-150679464?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link)

Were Neanderthals Natural Swimmers?