Archaeologists Just Discovered a Tiny Human Species Called “The Hobbit” — Here’s What Makes Them So Strange

Scientists estimate that there are at least 8 other human species that walked alongside modern humans thousands of years ago. It turns out one of those species was tinier than the rest, whose fossil was found in Southeast Asia, and stood just about one metre tall.

The researchers nicknamed this species “The Hobbit”. They are extinct now, but they lived up until 50,000 years ago, around the same time Homo sapiens successfully migrated out of Africa. But what makes this smaller human species unique and so strange? Is it just their stature? Let’s explore deeper into their evolutionary history.

Where and When Did the Hobbits Live?

The fossil remains of the Hobbit species, also known as Homo floresiensis, were first found in a cave called Liang Bua, on Flores, Indonesia. Archaeologists discovered a female “Hobbit” with almost a complete skeleton back in 2003, but since then, they have unearthed more than fourteen other individuals.

These hobbits were initially thought to have lived around 100,000 to 50,000 years ago, but some newer reports of older bones and tools point to them existing as far back as 700,000 years ago. This meant that they had a very long history on the island of Flores, possibly living in isolation away from other human species.

Since their estimated years of extinction coincide with the diffusion of Homo sapiens from Africa to Europe and Asia, the sudden presence of competition could be why they are now gone. Although there was no concrete evidence about this statement, the timing of their disappearance is huntingly close to when modern humans first arrived in those islands in South East Asia.

Image Credits | Read more: National Geographic

What Did the Hobbits Look Like?

Discovery of Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the 'hobbit' - Witness History podcast, BBC World Service

These tiny human species are smaller than Homo sapiens, only standing at 1.05 to 1.10 metres tall, and weighing around 25 kilograms. They are also believed to have possessed a smaller brain, about one-third the size of ours, based on their skulls.

However, despite all these smaller features, they have unusually large flat feet and are capable of using stone tools. Some parts of their brains are also reminiscent of Homo sapiens, which indicates that they may have real critical thinking and cognitive skills.

There are a lot of other human species, and we can attribute this fact to evolution. The more our distant ancestors ventured out of their natural habitats, whether they were forced to or not, the more they developed unique characteristics in order to survive. Then thousands of generations later, after being isolated and exposed to unique selective pressures, their genes diverged from the pack, creating a whole other species.

Where Did They Come From?

So, if the Hobbits are much smaller than other human species, while having most of their characteristics, such as their skeletons, arms and feet, brains, and abilities to use stone tools, where did this species come from?

Scientists think that the Hobbits may have originated from a larger human species like the Homo erectus, which reached the island of Flores, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years ago.

Then, over time, after being isolated on the island and living on it with limited food and resources, and possibly a lack of predators to fight, their bodies adapted and evolved to be smaller.

This is a process called “Island Dwarfism”, which states that larger animals become smaller when restricted to a limited and isolated environment like an island. The opposite of this effect is “Island gigantism”, where species become larger in more abundant environments relative to their original habitat.

Read more: Natural History Museum

What Did They Do and What Tools Did They Use?

Homo Floresiensis: The Hobbit Humans Who Defied Evolution AudioBook | Homo Floresiensis

Despite their smaller brains, they were able to utilize and manufacture stone tools. They may have already learned this skill from their ancestral species before reaching the island. These tools were used to cut, scrape, and hunt smaller animals like dwarf elephants or giant rodents.

Their way of life showcases that despite their size, they are a human species, capable of surviving and adapting in their environments, by using clever strategies such as creating a group or tribe, and making use of tools, just like our very own ancestors.

Author's Final Thoughts

The tiny human species Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the Hobbit, was able to live in isolation on the island of Flores, up until about 50,000 years ago. This means that they outlasted several other human species, who went extinct before them, despite having a smaller stature.

They were small in size, both in body and brain, yet they made stone tools, walked upright, and possibly lived longer on Earth in total years than we currently do as a species. These Hobbits remind us that human evolution was not a straight line, and nature was able to create different branches before it led to us, Homo Sapiens, dominating the planet.

So, regardless of their small bones, these tiny humans left a big mark on understanding who we are.

Read next: Researchers Just Found 3.6-Million-Year-Old Footprints in Africa — Here’s What They Tell Us About Early Humans

References & Further Reading

Brown, P., et al. (2004). A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02999

Sutikna, T., et al. (2016). Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17179

Kaifu, Y., et al. (2024). Early evolution of small body size in Homo floresiensis. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50649-7

Falk, D., et al. (2005). The brain of LB1, Homo floresiensis. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1109727

van den Bergh, G. D., et al. (2016). Homo floresiensis–like fossils from the early Middle Pleistocene of Flores. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17999