A new international study reports the first Neanderthal footprints discovered in Portugal, found along the Algarve coast.

Ecological network analysis shows a Neanderthal diet centered on deer, horses, and hares, with additional marine and coastal resources, indicating a diversified coastal adaptation.

The study infers locomotion strategies and possible route planning, hunting-related activity, and coexistence with other species, evidenced by a track showing simultaneous deer and human footprints.

Sites identified are Praia do Monte Clérigo, dating to about 78,000 years ago, and Praia do Telheiro, around 82,000 years old.

At Monte Clérigo, researchers documented five trackways and 26 footprints from adults and children, including a child just over one year old, on a former coastal dune slope; at Telheiro, a footprint suggesting a teenager or adult female was found alongside bird tracks.

Lead researchers are Carlos Neto de Carvalho and Fernando Muñiz Guinea, with collaboration from institutions across Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy, Denmark, and China.

Footprints provide a direct, moment-specific record of Neanderthal behavior and spatial use, offering insights into movement, landscape use, and social structure that artifacts alone cannot.

The findings imply greater ecological and cognitive versatility of Neanderthals in coastal environments, reshaping understanding of their behavior, mobility, and social organization.

The research is published in Scientific Reports as “Neanderthal coasteering and the first Portuguese hominin tracksites,” with multiple international collaborators.