By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com
Published: 21:44 GMT, 13 February 2019 | Updated: 21:45 GMT, 13 February 2019
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An ancient footprint found preserved in a Gibraltar sand dune may have been left by one of the last living Neanderthals.
Researchers investigating an area of the Catalan Bay Sand Dune over the last decade have found tracks from both animals and what appears to be a human ancestor dating as far back as 29,000 years ago.
Neanderthals began to die out around 40,000 years ago, though some research has suggested they persisted until as recently as 28,000 years ago.
The experts say the discovery lines up with late Neanderthal-era findings from the nearby Gorham's Cave, and if confirmed, would be only the second known example of Neanderthal footprints.
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The researchers found what’s said to be the footprint (above) of a young human ancestor who stood just 3.4 to 4 feet tall (106-126 centimeters). The team dated the print to about 29,000 years ago
In a paper published to the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, an international team including researchers from the Gibraltar National Museum have outlined the remarkable discovery of ancient vertebrate footprints in the region.
The dunes above Catalan bay are a relic of the last glaciation, according to the team, revealing evidence of a time when sea levels sat 120 meters lower than they do today.
At that time, the dunes extended much farther outward.
Researchers identified footprints from red deer, ibex, aurochs, leopard, and straight-tusked elephants at the site.
And, they found what’s said to be the footprint of a young human ancestor who stood just 3.4 to 4 feet tall (106-126 centimeters).
Researchers investigating an area of the Catalan Bay Sand Dune over the last decade have