Homo floresiensis

In 2003, a joint Indonesian-Australian research team discovered an unusual looking skull in Liang Bua Cave on the island of Flores in Indonesia. Although the skull was as small as that of a modern human child, its teeth were much worn and appeared to be those of an adult. The discoverers assigned the skeleton to a new species, Homo floresiensis, named after the island on which it was discovered. H. floresiensis was later nicknamed the ‘Hobbit’, after the fictional race of dwarf-like people popularized in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and the eponymously titled movies. LB-1, a fairly complete skeleton of H. floresiensis including a nearly complete cranium, was discovered to be a 30-year-old female only a little over 1m tall. Her brain was as small as that of an anthropoid. Judging from the stone tools that were discovered together with the skeleton, it is assumed that H. floresiensis hunted animals and was skilled in the use of stone tools. H. floresiensis, who lived about 18,000 years ago, is regarded as an astonishing piece of evidence in human evolutionary research. Although there has been considerable scientific debate over whether H. floresiensis was a modern human with a disease or growth disorder, most scientists recognize that H. floresiensis evolved into a species with a small body due to long-term isolation on the island and limited food resources. There are still a number of puzzling questions to figure out, such as how H. floresiensis evolved such a tiny body under what kind of circumstances, and how H. floresiensis is related to modern humans in evolutionary history.

Place of Settlement: Indonesia
Period: 18,000-95,000 years ago
Discovery Site: Liang Bua Cave on the island of Flores in Indonesia
Species: Homo floresiensis
Nick-name: Hobbit
Cranial Capacity: 417cc
Major Characteristics: A small body that evolved as a result of adaptation to the isolated environment of the island.