From these specimens, the physical characteristics of Denisovans are only partially known.

The molars recovered from Denisova Cave are striking: they are extremely large, comparable in size to the teeth of much more archaic hominin species, and morphologically primitive in ways that distinguish them from both Neanderthal and modern human teeth.

If Denisovans are to be classified based on their dental morphology, they would fall outside the range of Neanderthals and much closer to earlier archaic hominin forms.

Genetic analysis has allowed researchers to make some inferences about Denisovan physical characteristics.