Tiny humans known as Hobbits were even shorter

A new study shows that the ancestors of Homo floresiensis or Hobbits were even shorter and lived 700,000 years ago.

Two decades ago, scientists made a groundbreaking discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores, when they found fossils of an early human species, Homo floresiensis. The exciting thing was that these ancient humans stood at about 3.5 feet (1.07 meters) tall.

Their short heights earned them the nicknam “Hobbits” after the fictional characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,”. Homo floresiensis have intrigued researchers ever since.

Now a new study has revealed that the ancestors of these Hobbits were even shorter, standing at approximately one meter (3.3 feet) tall and living around 700,000 years ago.The new findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, were revealed through the analysis of fossils discovered at a site called Mata Menge, located 72 kilometers (45 miles) from the original discovery site.

The study, led by Yousuke Kaifu from the University of Tokyo, involved the examination of a tiny arm bone and teeth, which suggested the ancestors of Homo floresiensis were significantly smaller than previously thought. Dean Falk, an evolutionary anthropologist at Florida State University, told the AP that the research convincingly demonstrated the small stature of these early humans.

The origins of Homo floresiensis have been a subject of debate since their discovery in 2003. The new study provides compelling evidence that these Hobbits descended from Homo erectus, a species known to have body proportions similar to modern humans but with a smaller brain. The Mata Menge fossils share similarities with Homo erectus remains found on the island of Java, indicating a dramatic reduction in body size over time. This evolutionary process, known as island dwarfism, likely occurred as Homo erectus populations migrated from the Asian mainland to the isolated island of Flores.Island dwarfism is a phenomenon where species evolve smaller body sizes due to limited resources and isolation. On Flores, the reduction in size of Homo floresiensis likely provided advantages in an environment where food shortages were common.

“This means that Homo floresiensis experienced dramatic body size reduction from large-bodied Homo erectus, whose body size was similar to us modern humans,” Kaifu said. He also said that the Flores fossils were most similar to Homo erectus fossils dating from 1.1 million to 800,000 years ago from Sangiran in Java. We know that Homo erectus first appeared roughly 1.9 million years ago. Their body proportions were similar to modern humans, but they had a smaller brain.

According to archaeology professor and study co-author Adam Brumm of Griffith University’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution: “The discovery offers support to the idea that an evolutionary process known as island dwarfism tinkered with the genetics of a group of large-bodied Homo erectus that somehow made it from the continental landmass of Asia to the isolated island of Flores, perhaps one million years ago or more,”.

Gerrit van den Bergh, a paleontology professor at the University of Wollongong and co-author of the study, explained that smaller body size would have been favorable under such conditions, leading to the natural selection of diminutive individuals over many generations.

“It is thought that the main reason for this size reduction over many generations is that being small has more advantages than being large on an island. Periodic shortages of food are most likely the main selective force toward smaller body size,” he said.

The fossilized bone found at Mata Menge was initially thought to belong to a child due to its small size. However, microscopic examination confirmed it was from an adult, further supporting the theory of a smaller ancestral population. Alongside these fossils, researchers also uncovered stone tools, indicating a level of technological capability.

Humerus bone of Homo Ffloresiensis. Credit: Kaifu et al /Nature Communications

Homo floresiensis eventually went extinct, coinciding with the arrival of Homo sapiens in the region. Adam Brumm, an archaeology professor and study co-author from Griffith University, suggested that the presence of modern humans may have played a role in their extinction. The isolated lineage of Homo floresiensis had persisted on Flores for an extended period before disappearing shortly after Homo sapiens established a presence in the area.

This is such an exciting discovery both in terms of the evolutionary history of Homo floresiensis, as well as the complexities of human evolution in isolated environments. No doubt further research will reveal more about the story of this diminutive human and its place in the broader human evolution story.

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Saima Baig

I am a Chartered Environmentalist from the Royal Society for the Environment, UK and co-owner of DoLocal Digital Marketing Agency Ltd, with a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, an MBA in Finance, and a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics. I am passionate about science, history and environment and love to create content on these topics.