Homo heidelbergensis existed between 700,000 to 200,000 years ago, and their fossils have been discovered in areas of Europe, Africa, and possibly Asia. They likely adapted to living in colder weather with more compact bodies than other species of the Homo family. There is also evidence that they regularly hunted larger game and had a more sophisticated understanding and use of tools than earlier human species; they were likely the first species to use fire for cooking and build simple shelters out of wood and rock. Compared to other early humans, Homo heidelbergensis has a larger brain case, a flatter face more similar to modern humans, and larger brow ridge (the area directly above the eyes where the eyebrows are located.) They are considered to be the likely common ancestor that is shared between Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens, with those living in Europe evolving into H. neanderthalensis, and those living in Africa evolving into to H. sapiens.