Denisovan vs Neanderthal: What’s the Difference?

By md.admin Last updated Jul 3, 2022

Comparing Denisovan vs Neanderthal

	Denisovan	Neanderthal
Era Alive	Lower and Middle Paleolithic	Middle to Late Pleistocene
Appearance	The widest and flattest skull shape; large teeth and wide pelvises. Matured slower than Neanderthals	Wide skulls and pelvises, though more aligned with modern humans. Matured at a rate close to modern humans
Geographical Location	Eastern Asia	Europe and Western Asia
Behavior	Very little is known, but it is suspected that Denisovans bred frequently with Neanderthals and lived similar lives	Complex and industrious lives with complicated social structures. Created Neanderthal and Denisovan offspring, but only in certain locations
Location Discovered	Denisova Cave in Russia; 2008	Belgium in the 19th century

Key Differences Between Denisovan vs Neanderthal

There are many key differences between the Denisovans and the Neanderthals. We know far more about Neanderthals than Denisovans, but we know enough to qualify Denisovans as a separate ancient human. The eras in which Denisovans and Neanderthals lived differ from one another, though their time on Earth did indeed overlap.

Let’s discuss what we know about these ancient beings in more detail now.

Denisovan vs Neanderthal: Appearance

While little is known about Denisovans, we can glean from fossil records that there are some physical differences in the appearance of these two ancient beings. For example, Denisovans have the widest and flattest skulls out of both Neanderthals and modern humans. The molars of the Denisovan were much larger than the molars of the Neanderthal and modern humans. Additionally, Denisovans had a much larger jaw and tooth set up compared to Neanderthals.

The 7 Best Snake Guard Chaps You Can Buy Today

Pet Gecko Guide: What You Need To Know

The Best Nest Boxes Birds Will Actually Use for 2022

While it may not be something that we can entirely prove at this point in time, there are some studies that suggest Denisovans mature slower compared to Neanderthals. This leads to more physical differences between them, if you consider how these humans matured at different rates.

Denisovan vs Neanderthal: Era Alive

While both Denisovans and Neanderthals existed during the same era, there is very little difference between these two in terms of their time on earth. However, Neanderthals lived during the Middle to Late Pleistocene Era, while Denisovans lived during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic Era. Neanderthals existed for longer than Denisovans overall.

Denisovan vs Neanderthal: Geographical Location

Similarly to the era in which these two ancient humans lived, both Denisovans and Neanderthals resided in similar geographic locations. While Neanderthals lived in Europe and Western Asia, Denisovans lived primarily in Eastern Asia. However, given the number of Denisovan and Neanderthal offsprings, we know that their territories overlapped with each other.

Denisovan vs Neanderthal: Behavior

Very little is known about the lifestyles and behaviors of the Denisovans. However, we know a great deal about the lives and struggles of the Neanderthals. It can be assumed that Denisovans lived similar lives, but we don’t have confirmation of this. Neanderthals developed complex social and industrial systems, and Denisovans likely had these as well for their own survival.

The only thing we do have confirmation of is the fact that Denisovans and Neanderthals bred and created hybrid humans during their time alive on Earth. A particular specimen named Danny has given scientists ample insight into the overlap of Denisovan and Neanderthal social structures and genetics. However, we still don’t have enough specimens to confirm very much about Denisovan behavior.

Denisovan vs Neanderthal: Location and Date Discovered

A final difference between Denisovans and Neanderthals is the locations and dates in which their remains were first discovered. Neanderthal remains were discovered in Belgium in the 19th century, whereas Denisovan remains were first discovered in the Denisova Cave in Russia as late as 2008.

We have only just begun to learn about Denisovans compared to the amount we know about Neanderthals. Perhaps we will learn much more in the coming decades about our other ancestors, the Denisovans!

Comparing Denisovan vs Neanderthal

	Denisovan	Neanderthal
Era Alive	Lower and Middle Paleolithic	Middle to Late Pleistocene
Appearance	The widest and flattest skull shape; large teeth and wide pelvises. Matured slower than Neanderthals	Wide skulls and pelvises, though more aligned with modern humans. Matured at a rate close to modern humans
Geographical Location	Eastern Asia	Europe and Western Asia
Behavior	Very little is known, but it is suspected that Denisovans bred frequently with Neanderthals and lived similar lives	Complex and industrious lives with complicated social structures. Created Neanderthal and Denisovan offspring, but only in certain locations
Location Discovered	Denisova Cave in Russia; 2008	Belgium in the 19th century