Neanderthal Diet: A "Maggot Heavy" Revelation

Neanderthal and His Forage. (Image: AI)

A new study challenges the long-held belief that Neanderthals were primarily "hypercarnivores" feasting solely on lean game meat. Instead, researchers suggest that a significant, and perhaps crucial, part of their diet came from an unexpected source: maggots. This "maggot-heavy" diet could explain the unusually high levels of a specific nitrogen isotope (N-15) found in Neanderthal bones, a signature previously attributed solely to extensive meat consumption.

Published in Science Advances on July 25, 2025, the research, led by biological anthropologist Melanie Beasley of Purdue University, proposes that Neanderthals may have intentionally consumed fly larvae thriving on decaying animal carcasses. This idea aligns with a long-standing hypothesis by Beasley's co-author John Speth, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan, who has argued for years that putrid meat and fish, along with their inevitable insect inhabitants, played a key role in prehistoric diets.

The Isotope Enigma and the Maggot Solution

For decades, the high nitrogen signatures in Neanderthal bones led scientists to believe they were apex predators, similar to lions or hyenas, at the very top of the food chain. However, a metabolic paradox exists: humans cannot process as much protein as these large carnivores without suffering from protein poisoning. This raised questions about how Neanderthals maintained such high nitrogen levels.

The new study offers a compelling answer. Beasley's research involved measuring isotopic values in decomposing human tissue and the insects feeding on it. The results showed that as maggots consume decaying flesh, they become significantly enriched in N-15. In fact, some fly larvae exhibited nitrogen levels up to eight times higher than the decomposed tissue itself, far exceeding the nitrogen levels found in traditionally hunted animals.

This means that by consuming maggots, Neanderthals would have acquired a highly N-15-enriched source of protein and fat, which could account for the distinctive chemical signature in their bones.

Nutritional Benefits and Cultural Practices

Beyond explaining the isotopic puzzle, the study highlights the nutritional advantages of a maggot-inclusive diet. Maggots convert lean game meat into a fatty substance, providing a more complete and nutritious food source. As Beasley explains, "By eating the fatty fly larvae along with the lean meat, Neanderthals were getting a more complete food." Maggots are also rich in protein and amino acids, making them a valuable and easily collectible food resource.

The notion of consuming maggots might seem unappetizing to modern sensibilities, but traditional Indigenous practices offer a different perspective. Ethnographic accounts reveal numerous examples of indigenous peoples routinely consuming putrefied animal foods with maggots, often as a preferred food rather than a last resort. This suggests that for Neanderthals, incorporating maggots into their diet would have been a smart and nutritionally sound choice.

While there is no direct archaeological evidence of Neanderthals intentionally eating maggots, the compelling isotopic data and the logical advantages of such a practice make a strong case for its routine occurrence. This new understanding sheds light on the complex and adaptable foraging strategies of our ancient relatives, painting a picture of a more varied and resourceful diet than previously imagined.

Sources:

• Maggots may have been on the Neandertal menu - Science News

• Neanderthals Probably Ate a Lot of Maggots - History.com

• Neanderthals May Have Feasted On Maggots, Which They Harvested From Rotting Flesh - IFLScience

• The real Paleo diet: Neanderthals dined on rotten meat and maggots, study suggests - CP24

• Neanderthals ate maggots from rotting meat, new research finds - The Jerusalem Post

• Neanderthals likely ate fermented meat with a side of maggots - The Shillong Times