Cro-Magnon Infants: Morphology and Mortuary Practices in the Upper Paleolithic

**This study re-analyzes immature human remains, known as Cro-Magnon 5, discovered at the Cro-Magnon rock-shelter in France.** **The goal is to reassess the minimum number of individuals, evaluate their biological characteristics, and explore the funerary implications of finding both old adults and young children together.** **Through morphological and metric comparisons with recent and Late Pleistocene human remains, the authors confirm the presence of at least four immature individuals.** **They suggest the infants' remains generally fall within the expected range of variation, with one femur showing modestly unusual metaphyses.** **The research highlights the unusual demographic profile of the Cro-Magnon site within its Gravettian context, where the burials of infants with mostly elderly adults implies selective funerary practices.** **Ultimately, this work emphasizes the Cro-Magnon rock-shelter's importance for understanding the paleobiology and mortuary behaviors of the Upper Paleolithic.**