Neanderthals Liked It Chewy

We have this guy in our county who sets up a jerky stand every year and has all these signs proclaiming what kind of jerky he’s got, all the way up and down the road. It reminds me of the scene in Rat Race where Kathy Bates has those “You. Should. Have. Bought. A. Squirrel!” signs leading unsuspecting drivers to their doom.

Apparently, Neanderthals weren’t so different from our jerky makers-and-eaters today. A new study reports that they dried out the hides of mammoths in order to transport them, creating their own B.C. jerky.

Can you imagine making jerky out of a mammoth? I can’t even imagine it out of an elephant.

Scientists say that this jerky-making is what allowed Neanderthals to survive the cold—as well as to travel long distances without starving.

Groups would have needed a new kill about every seven weeks to survive.

And like the native tribes of the Americas, it looks like Neanderthals didn’t waste much, if anything. They used mammoth skins to create clothing, blankets and shelter.

So where did we get our wasteful ways from?

Scientists say that they likely made the jerky from frying the meat over fire or boiling it in ceramic pots or skin bags.