(Bradshaw) The average Homo Sapien man was about five foot eight. (Australian Museum) They had a more visible brow ridge, a less vertical forehead and a less prominent chin. (Bradshaw) Homo Sapiens had bodies with short, slender trunks and long limbs. These body proportions were an adaptation for surviving in tropical regions due to the greater proportion of skin surface available for cooling the body. More stocky builds gradually evolved when populations spread to cooler regions, as an adaptation that helped the body retain heat. (Australian Museum)
Neanderthals resided in Asia and Europe and eventually came into direct contact with their cousins, the Homo Sapiens. Homo Sapeins evolved in Africa and co-existed for a long time in Europe and the Middle East. (Australian Museum) Around 40,000 years ago, volcanic eruptions devastated Neanderthal homelands, Europe and Asia. The Homo Sapiens lived on the fringes beyond the range of the volcanic ash clouds. The eruptions forced surviving Neanderthals to migrate and interbreed with Homo