Neandertals and polar bears both appeared in the late Pleistocene. The latter evolved from terrestrial species, developing the white coat, streamlined body, dense body fat and specialized paws that fit their life in the Arctic. Neandertals, having split from the ancestral line of humans, moved into the periglacial zone of western Asia and Europe. Equipped with a hirsuit, stocky frame and powerful muscles, they, like the polar bear, were hunters. Though they lacked articulate speech, Neandertals did engage in rituals and were the first hominids to bury their dead.
Humans spread into the colder lands of the Neandertal about 40,000 years ago and, due to their greater intelligence and superior communication skills, soon displaced their more primitive cousins; Neandertals disappeared about 30,000 years ago. Today, man is threatening the survival of the polar bear as well. Though now protected from overhunting, the polar bear is endangered by global warming which, at least to some degree, is related to human activity. Arctic pack ice, so important to the bear's hunting style, has become reduced in extent and duration. Before long, the polar bear may go the way of the Neandertals.
