Discovery of 78,000-year-old footprints shocks archaeology world

The mystery of Neanderthal footprints reveals a strange hunting trip, leaving scientists amazed at the behavior of prehistoric human ancestors.

In March 2020, geologist and geographer Carlos Neto de Carvalho and his wife, Yilu Zhang, were walking along the beach of Monte Clérigó in southern Portugal when they unexpectedly discovered a series of 78,000-year-old Neanderthal footprints on the cliffs. Photo: Carlos Neto de Carvalho (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Geologist Carlos said he and his wife discovered the ancient footprints early in the morning on a sunny day, with perfect lighting to examine the tracks. Photo: Carlos Neto de Carvalho (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

However, when Carlos took his colleagues back to the site to photograph and study the Neanderthal footprints, they were unable to reach the site due to the sudden high tide. They had to swim and climb a 15m high rock with all their equipment. Photo: Getty Images.

After the tide receded, the team accessed 26 ancient footprints at Monte Clérigó, which revealed Neanderthal activity along the Atlantic coast around 78,000 years ago. Photo: Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-06089-4.

“The fossil record of hominin footprints, especially Neanderthal footprints, is extremely rare,” geologists Carlos and colleagues wrote in a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. Photo: CN de Carvalho et al.

According to the research team, the Neanderthal footprints are almost identical to human footprints. These footprints were located near the shore on a coastal sand dune. These footprints date back to about 83,000 - 73,000 years ago. Photo: CN de Carvalho et al.

Based on the size and shape of the footprints at Monte Clérigo, the team says an adult Neanderthal man was accompanied by a child aged 7 to 9 and a child under 2. They walked up and down the dunes, possibly searching for food, such as shellfish. Photo: CN de Carvalho et al.

Another possibility is that Neanderthals were ambushing or stalking prey such as horses, deer or hares. This is because some Neanderthal footprints are “overprinted” with those of large mammals. Photo: CN de Carvalho et al.

From these footprints, researchers speculate that Neanderthals may have lived at Monte Clérigo, but so far no evidence of their residence there has been found. Photo: Neto de Carvalho et al., Scientific Reports, 2025 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Readers are invited to watch the video : Revealing lost civilizations through archaeological remains.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/phat-hien-dau-chan-78000-nam-tuoi-gay-chan-dong-gioi-khao-co-post1556765.html