An Archaeologist from the University of Reading has been involved in a ground-breaking caveman study.

A 50,000-year-old skeleton has helped researchers show for the first time that cavemen hunted cave lions and removed their furs.

The cave lion was a top predator in the Ice Age and hunted large animals such as mammoths.

The study published in the Journal of Scientific Reports outlines how the team detected a toe bone with a cut mark among the remains of the cave lion.

This led to them determining that Neanderthals removed the lion’s pelt with the claws attached to use the skin for their own purposes.

Lead author Gabriele Russo, of Universität Tübingen in Germany, analysed the remains of a cave lion found by a teenager from Siegsdorf in Bavaria.

A closer inspection by Russo of the skeleton led to the detection of some unusual damage on a rib.

Working together with archaeologist Dr Annemieke Milks, of the University of Reading, the marks were identified as a weapon impact.

Dr Milks said: “The lion was probably killed by a spear that was thrust into its abdomen when it was already lying on the ground.”