The ritual lives of animals are of interest to paleoanthropologists, as they provide a convenient insight into how religious belief systems may have developed in our ancestors. "The skeletal remains of Cro-Magnon man are found buried in the foetal position in line with the primitive myth that such a position facilitates rebirth. The study of allied behaviours in non-human animals provides an opportunity to understand their nature and function in man."[14] Indeed, some have seen superficial similarities between the funeral rituals of African elephants and the burial rituals of Neanderthals.[15]