Homo floresiensis

Homo floresiensis is defined by the type specimen LB-1, a partial skeleton consisting of a fairly complete skull, major portions of the legs, parts of hands and feet, and other postcranial elements. The discovery of Homo floresiensis complicated the preconceived notion that Homo sapiens were the only humans on the planet after the extinction of Homo neanderthalensis 30,000 years ago. 

Johanson, D., & Edgar, B. (2006). Homo floresiensis. In From Lucy to Language (pp. 248-249). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. (2010, March 01). LB-1. Retrieved March 21, 2017, from http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/fossils/lb-1

Australian Museum. (n.d.). Homo floresiensis. Retrieved March 21, 2017, from https://australianmuseum.net.au/homo-floresiensis

Wahyu Saptomo, Benjamin Tarus, Thomas Sutikna, Rokus Due Awe, Michael Morwood, and Raden Soejono

LB-1

The Hobbit

Flores, Indonesia

Liang Bua Cave

September 2003

18,000 B.P.

Carbon-14 of burial sediments

Upon its discovery, some paleoanthropologists suggested that the short stature of LB-1, 3.5 feet, was due to an abnormality and categorized the specimen as a dwarfed version of Homo erectus or modern humans. Further analysis proved that the proportions were not due to an abnormality and LB-1 was most likely a new small hominid species suffering from insular dwarfism due to island isolation. Alignment of the toes and femural anatomy suggest that Homo floresiensis was bipedal. The cranial capacity of LB-1 is only 417cc, significantly lower than modern humans (1400cc), and well below the brain size of other species in the genus Homo. Computer modelling showed that LB-1’s brain had its own unique configuration organized differently than modern humans. The brain has an enlarged Broadmann area 10, an area of the brain that appears to help with complex cognitive activities. Stone artifacts and a variety of faunal remains have been recovered at the site. This appears to indicate that a small-brained hominid exhibited modern behaviors such as tool making, complicating the assumption that brain size is correlated to intelligence. The dentition is much reduced compared to earlier hominids and well within the range of Homo erectus and modern human with a parabolic or V-shaped dental arcade typical of the genus Homo. Despite the similar head shape to Homo erectus, Homo floresiensis’ cranium has much smaller brow ridges. The face is significantly less prognathic than Australopithecines and is more lightly built. The mandible has no chin. 

Brown, P., Sutikna, T., Morwood, M. J., Soejono, R. P., J., Saptomo, E. W., & Due, R. A. (2004). A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia. Nature, 431(7012), 1055-1061.