The Shanidar Z skull provided enough material for meaningful assessment.

The morphology of the cranium — specific features of the temporal bone, the occipital region, and the overall robusticity of certain structures — was more consistent with female Neanderthal anatomy than male.

Sex determination from crania alone carries inherent uncertainty, and the researchers were appropriately cautious in their language, but the assessment consistently pointed toward female.

Age was estimated from multiple indicators.

Dental wear — the degree to which the occlusal surfaces of the teeth had been ground down by a lifetime of chewing — suggested an adult well past adolescence.