Homo floresiensis: New findings on Flores' “hobbits”

Professor Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum holds his hand over a skull (center) found in Liang Bua Cave. It belonged to a full-grown individual that was barely one meter tall and had a skull the size of a grapefruit. The find was presented in London on October 27, 2004 as part of the announcement of a new human species that lived on the Indonesian island of Flores around 18,000 years ago. The discovery shows that the diversity of people in the recent past was significantly greater than previously assumed. Source: AFP / JIM WATSON/AFP

New analyses question the previous image of Homo floresiensis: The “hobbits” of Flores probably did not hunt large animals and apparently did not use fire in Liang-Bua Cave. Instead, they may have been feeding on carrion, plants, and insects. The results provide new insights into the life of this enigmatic human species.

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