Scientists from an Australian university have discovered that the ancient human species known as Homo floresiensis, or “hobbits,” were even shorter than previously believed. These tiny humans lived on the Indonesian island of Flores until as recently as 50,000 years ago, sharing the planet with our own species, Homo sapiens. Originally found in Liang Bua cave in 2003, these small-brained people stood roughly three feet six inches tall and had large teeth for their size. While it was initially thought they were dwarfed descendants of Homo erectus, recent studies suggest in fact that they may have come from an even older human ancestor.
Evidence of an even smaller human species had been found earlier at the Mata Menge site on Flores. These individuals had smaller jaws and teeth than Homo floresiensis, suggesting that the small body size evolved earlier in the species’ history. Now, scientists have uncovered additional fossils at Mata Menge, including a tiny adult humerus bone, dating back 700,000 years. This truly incredible find confirms that these ancient inhabitants of Flores were smaller than their later descendants, the Hobbits.
Research Dr Brumm argues that “The new fossils strongly suggest that the ‘Hobbit’ story did indeed begin when a group of the early Asian hominins known as Homo erectus somehow became isolated on this remote Indonesian island, perhaps a million years ago, and underwent a dramatic body size reduction over time,” This new and exciting discovery adds another layer of mystery to the story of human evolution.
