Homo neanderthalensis. Illustration and photo-reconstruction of a Neanderthal pulling his spear from a moose he's just killed. The Neanderthal is a fossil species of a human that lived 140-24 thousand years ago. The name Neanderthal occurs from the Neanderthal gorge (near Dusseldorf) where the first skull was found in 1856. The average height of the Neanderthals was about 170 centimetres, but they were distinguished by a stocky physique, and by the volume of the cranium (1400-1740 cubed centimetres) which even surpassed that of Homo sapiens. The Neanderthals had very developed superciliary arches, forming an almost continuous roll; massive lower jaw, almost without chin; large wide nose and large teeth. Muscle mass is 30-40% larger than that of Cro-Magnon and heavier than the bones of the skeleton; an advantageous adaption to the harsh conditions of the subarctic climate.