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From their heavy build and short limbs, to the shape of their skull and teeth, there are many ways that the anatomy of Neanderthals differed to our own.

Now experts say that even a small bone in their ears are dissimilar to one in modern humans, raising the prospect that our extinct ancient relatives heard differently to us too.

Researchers created a computer model of the middle ear bone of a Neanderthal child, whose remains were discovered in France 40 years ago.

Researchers created a computer model of the middle ear bone of a Neanderthal child, whose remains were discovered in France 40 years ago to make the discovery. The entirety of the auditory ossicle is shown

The remains from a two-year-old child, which are known as La Ferrassie 8, were discovered at La Ferrassie in the Dordogne, south western France, between 1970 and 1973.

The site yielded seven Neanderthal skeletons ranging from foetuses to almost complete skeletons of adults, thought to be between 70,000 and 50,000 years old.

Over 40 years on, they are shedding new light on the anatomy of the extinct species, which inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia between 230,000 and 28,000 years ago.

Asier Gómez-Olivencia, an Ikerbasque researcher at the University of the Basque Country in northern Spain, produced a 3D computer reconstruction of the remains.

His work, published in The Journal of Human Evolution, reveals another anatomical difference between the Neanderthals and modern humans in the smallest ossicles of the body.

Among La Ferrassie 8's bones – including a skull, jaw, vertebrae, ribs and hand phalanges – is a very complete left temporal bone with an auditory ossicle inside – a complete stapes.

Neanderthals inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia between 230,000 and 28,000 years ago. A stock image is shown. The bone comes from a two-year-old of the extinct species

The La Ferrassie site (marked on the map) yielded seven Neanderthal skeletons ranging from foetuses to almost complete skeletons of adults

The bone, which lies in the middle ear of humans and other mammals is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear.

It is the most complete example in the Neanderthal record.

Dr Gómez-Olivencia made a computer model so he could virtually 'extract' the bone to study its shape closely.

He found that the shape of the Neanderthal stapes differs from our own, meaning they may have heard sounds differently too.

He explained: 'We do not yet know the relation between these morphological differences and hearing in the Neanderthals.

'This would constitute a new challenge for the future'.

NEANDERTHAL WOMEN DID THE HOUSEWORK WHILE MEN MADE TOOLS

Female Neanderthals did the household chores as well as hunting alongside males (illustrated), according to a study which analysed their teeth

Female Neanderthals did the household chores as well as hunting alongside males, according to a recent study which analysed their teeth.

It suggests that women in the group were responsible for looking after furs and adjusting garments, while men had the task of improving stone tools.

Scientists at Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid analysed 99 incisors and canine teeth of 19 Neanderthals found at sites in Spain, France and Belgium.

The fossils in Spain dated back 100,000 years, in France 50,000 years, and in Belgium the ancient teeth were believed to be 44,000 years old.

Regardless of age, Neanderthals had dental grooves.

'This is due to the custom of these societies to use the mouth as a third hand, as in some current populations, for tasks such as preparing the furs or chopping meat, for instance,' said Antonio Rosas, CSIC researcher.

But the study found grooves present in the female fossils followed the same pattern, and were different to those found in male individuals.

'What we have now discovered is that the grooves detected in the teeth of adult women are longer than those found in adult men,' said Professor Rosas.

'Therefore we assume that the tasks performed were different'.

The tiny nicks of the teeth enamel were also analysed.

Male individuals show a greater number of nicks in the enamel and dentin of the upper parts, while in female individuals these imperfections appear in the lower parts.

It is still unclear which activities corresponded to women and which ones to men.

However, the authors of the study note that, as in modern hunter-gatherer societies, women may have been responsible for the preparation of furs and the elaboration of garments.

Researchers state that the retouching of the edges of stone tools seems to have been a male task.