Homo floresiensis, a late Pleistocene hominin: the original "Hobbit" ?
Brown et al. (2004) "Nature" 431:1055
announced discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores of a one-meter
high fossil member of the genus Homo, which they argue represents a new species of homini, H. floresiensis, descended from Homo erectus (Figure 1). The fossil has the bipedal stance and reduced canines typical of Homo, but an estimated brain volume / height ratio (Figure 2)] much lower than that of other known hominin species, and an encephalization quotient ["the ratio of the brain weight of the animal to the brain weight of a "typical" animal of the same body weight"] of 2.5 ~ 4.6, much lower than that for modern Homo sapiens (5.8 ~ 8.1) and comparable with known Homo erectus
(3.3 ~ 4.4). Brown et al. speculate that floresiensis represents a
dwarfed species that evolved in isolation in an island fauna.
Figures from Mirazon Lahr & Foley (2004) "Nature:" 431-1044-5; text material
©
2004 by Steven M. Carr