HOMO FLORESIENSIS

Homo floresiensis Nickname: the Hobbit Where Lived: Asia (Indonesia) When Lived: About
100,000 – 50,000 years ago Homo floresiensis lived about 95,000 – 17,000 years ago.
Remains of one of the most recently discovered early human species, Homo floresiensis
(nicknamed ‘Hobbit’), have so far only been found on the Island of Flores, Indonesia. The fossils
of H. floresiensis date to between about 100,000 and 60,000 years ago, and stone tools made
by this species date to between about 190,000 and 50,000 years old. H. floresiensis individuals
stood approximately 3 feet 6 inches tall, had tiny brains, large teeth for their small size,
shrugged-forward shoulders, no chins, receding foreheads, and relatively large feet due to their
short legs. Despite their small body and brain size, H. floresiensis made and used stone tools,
hunted small elephants and large rodents, coped with predators such as giant Komodo dragons,
and may have used fire. The diminutive stature and small brain of H. floresiensis may have
resulted from island dwarfism—an evolutionary process that results from long-term isolation
on a small island with limited food resources and a lack of predators. Pygmy elephants on
Flores, now extinct, showed the same adaptation. The smallest known species of Homo and
Stegodon elephant are both found on the island of Flores, Indonesia. However, some scientists
are now considering the possibility that the ancestors of H. floresiensis may have been small
when they first reached Flores. One of our own scientists, Dr. Matt Tocheri, does research on
this enigmatic early human species; read more about this work, and watch a video about it on
this page.

Year of Discovery: 2003History of Discovery:

A joint Indonesian-Australian research team found LB-1—a nearly complete female skeleton of
a tiny human that lived about 80,000 years ago—in Liang Bua cave on the island of Flores,
Indonesia. The skeleton’s unique traits such as its small body and brain size led scientists to
assign the skeleton to a new species, Homo floresiensis, named after the island on which it was
discovered.Since the initial find, bones and teeth representing as many as 12 H. floresiensis
individuals have been recovered at Liang Bua—the only site where H. floresiensis has been
found so far. The bulk of the finds related to H. floresiensis date between 100,000 and 60,000
years ago, with stone tools made by this species dating between 190,00 and 50,000 years ago.
Height: 106 cm (3 ft 6 in) - estimate from a female skeletonWeight: 30 kg (66 lbs) - estimate
from a female skeleton
We don’t know everything about our early ancestors—but we keep learning more!
Paleoanthropologists are constantly in the field, excavating new areas with groundbreaking
technology, and continually filling in some of the gaps about our understanding of human
evolution.

How They Survived:

Stone tools found on the island of Flores show that early humans arrived there at least 1 million
years ago, but it’s not known how early humans got there as the nearest island is 9 km (6 mi)
away across treacherous seas. Paleoanthropologists found many stone tools associated with H.
floresiensis, and these tools are broadly similar to those found earlier on Flores and throughout
the human evolutionary career (i.e., Lower Paleolithic tools in Asia or Oldowan tools in Africa).
There is also evidence that H. floresiensis selectively hunted Stegodon (an extinct type of
elephant) as hundreds of Stegodon bone fragments are found within H. floresiensis occupation
layers and some of these Stegodon bones show butchery marks.

Evolutionary Tree Information:

Although there has been considerable scientific debate over whether LB-1 (the holotype of
Homo floresiensis) may represent a modern human with a disease or growth disorder, most
scientists now recognize H. floresiensis as a valid taxon and a human species distinct from
Homo sapiens (modern humans). Scientists are now trying to figure out exactly how H.
floresiensis is related to other species in the genus Homo.

This female’s head, like the rest of her body, was unusually small. Her brain was about
a third the size of ours, but her species made and used stone tools, and hunted a
variety of animals. The small body size of Homo floresiensis may have helped the
species survive on an island with limited resources.

This female’s head, like the rest of her body, was unusually small. Her brain was about
a third the size of ours, but her species made and used stone tools, and hunted a
variety of animals. The small body size of Homo floresiensis may have helped the
species survive on an island with limited resources.