Identical marks were found on deer bones, and remains of the animals and primitive people were discarded together, around fireplaces in the cave. I can't imagine any way you could get this kind of damage to skeletons through any process other than intentional defleshing of bones. While some Neanderthals carefully buried their dead, White said the French cave and scarred bones at other sites suggest cannibalism was more common among Neanderthals than later humans. Animal bones suggest game was not a problem. They may have eaten enemies.
Some cultures practice cannibalism after a natural death.
Neanderthals apparently did not store provisions. Meat cannot be digested without enough fat, either in the meat or stored in the eater's body, so Neanderthals and their game would be incredibly lean by late winter, Wolpoff said. Brains are very high in fat, as is bone marrow.