The Le Moustier 2 newborn mentioned earlier isn’t unique. One of the shortest Neanderthal lives ended around 70,000 years ago, in the Caucasus Mountains. A week or two old at most, it’s astonishingly well preserved. Just a whisker above the rock floor of Mezmaiskaya Cave, the tiny skeleton was found lying on its right side, knees flexed, legs drawn up, with its left arm bent slightly towards the chest.
