Hi,

these days I came over an article about Neanderthal evolution,
that seems to fit somehow into the Kangoroo information
from Loren Cordaine.

Neanderthals inhabited an area, which was kind of isolated during
the ice ages -Europe- and therefore had a seperate line of evolution.
They survived through a few worm and cold phases, but became extinct
in the culmination of the last glaciation (~30000 ya).

The article showed, that the cold phases must have been very hard on
European inhabitants. They moved more south (the last neanderthal
traces
found in south of Spain).
And glaciation must have reduced their numbers largely. Indeed the
space
north of the alps was empty of them for thousands of years.

There's a reason, why Neanderthals could not simply move more
southward,
were the area was more bioproductive. They were rather specialized
hunters
and meat eaters. And, as we learnt from Cordaine's listings, game meat
needs
to be accompanied with a significant amount of fat (or other caloric
sources). To avoid protein toxicity ("rabbit starvation").

Wild game is very lean in more temperate climates - the Kangaroo of
44kg
would have allowed a maximum of 6.6kg of the muscle mass eaten.
While the "nausea" limit (experienced by Stephansson) is at about half
of
the toxicity limit (half of 35% calories from protein).

Game meat is more fatty in northern latitudes and in cold
temperatures.
In a glaciation phase, the boundary, were enough animals are found,
moves southwards (because of smaller bioproductivity).
While the region, where fat enough animals are found moves south too,
but becomes smaller.
Smaller because more south, *seasons* are less intense - the second
reason,
why animals gain fat.

Maybe the neanderthal possible living space shrinked too small... to
zero.
Lost between rabbit starvation and glaciation in south Spain.

This kind of explanation works only of the population doesn't switch
to
different caloric sources of wormer climates, especially nuts which
are very
fatty and nutritious. It's possible that eather neanderthals
genetically
weren't able to digest plant food properly.
And/or that the nut trees didn't survive at or migrate to the southern
european dead-ends like Spain and Italy.
We've just to look at pollen data of 30kya of south Spain.

Btw. inuit don't have this problem, because they can rely on biomass
of
marine origin (whales, seals, fish). Seal is called the live-bringer.

I hope you could enjoy my attempt of a theory to explain the
neanderthal
extinction.

feedback of all neanderthal friends welcome :-)

cheers

Amadeus Schmidt