New research from Gorham's Cave in Gibraltar reveals that Neanderthals lived in southern Iberia much later than once believed. They occupied the cave from roughly 33,000 to 24,000 years ago. This cave preserves layers of sediment that clearly separate Neanderthal remains from later modern human settlements. Radiocarbon dating of hearths in the Neanderthal layer (Level IV) confirms these late dates. Above it lies Level III, which links to the arrival of modern humans thousands of years later. Inside Gorham’s Cave, archaeologists discovered Mousterian stone tools unique to Neanderthals in Level IV. Importantly, no signs of modern human tools were found there, confirming the site’s pure Neanderthal occupation during this period. More than twenty radiocarbon dates all cluster around this same late timeframe. Animal remains found in Level IV show Neanderthals ate a wide variety of food. Evidence includes amphibians, reptiles, large mammals, birds, and marine shellfish. The nearby coastline gave easy access to shellfish and coastal resources. The surrounding hills had a mix of plants, from wooded areas to open ground and wetlands. This variety likely helped Neanderthals survive as other parts of Europe became colder and harsh during the Ice Age. However, the end of this Neanderthal population appears linked to a sharp climate change known as Heinrich Event 2, between 25,500 and 22,500 years ago. This period brought cold and dry conditions that may have reduced water and food availability, even in the milder Gibraltar area. Researchers see no evidence of violent conflict; instead, the Neanderthal record in the cave simply stops. Thousands of years after they disappeared, modern human groups show up in the cave’s upper layers. The reasons for this gap remain unclear, but climate shifts and isolation likely played roles. Gorham’s Cave thus holds one of the last stories of Neanderthals in Europe, preserved in its ancient walls.