( CNN ) The next time someone accuses you of acting like a Neanderthal , do n't be offended . Just say `` thank you . '' A new study published this month suggests Neanderthals were more `` cognitively advanced than we give them credit , '' Kansas University 's David Frayer said in a release . Frayer , a professor emeritus of anthropology , was a part of the study published in the journal PLOS ONE that looks at eagle talons found in present-day Croatia . The talons are among the thousands of human remains , animal bones and tools originally excavated between 1899 and 1905 in the area by Croatian scientist Dragutin Gorjanovic-Kramberger . Only recently , however , did Frayer identify the cut marks and notches on the 130,000-year-old bones as ones modified by humans . `` I was stunned , '' Frayer said of the discovery . `` It 's so obvious that these are cut . '' The markings , including polishes and areas where the bones were `` rubbed together , '' show that the talons were `` manipulated into a piece of jewelry , '' Frayer said . Frayer co-wrote `` Evidence for Neanderthal Jewelry : Modified White-tailed Eagle Claws at Krapina '' with three other Croatian scientists . Their research indicates Neanderthals were more than just the cavemen-like characters depicted in Geico commercials , but sophisticated creatures concerned with ornamentation and possibly even an `` advanced level of prowess '' in catching birds , according to Frayer . `` We ca n't prove it , but we suspect that they were catching these birds , '' he said . Even with modern technology , catching an eagle is an enormously difficult thing to do . Frayer believes Neanderthals must have had excellent `` planning skills and ritual '' they would 've used in catching the bird . `` Neanderthals are often thought of to be simple-minded mumbling , bumbling , stumbling fools , '' Frayer said . `` But the more we know about them the more sophisticated they 've become . ''
Researchers say marking on eagle talons prove Neanderthals made jewelry . Eagle bones used in study this month . Scientist : `` It really shows a level of technical sophistication ''