Prehistoric human relatives, nicknamed ‘hobbits’ due to their short stature, may have been scavengers rather than skilled hunters. A new study suggests that Homo floresiensis, which had a brain only slightly bigger than that of a chimpanzee, may have survived on the Indonesian island of Flores by scavenging the leftovers of Komodo dragons.

Study Findings

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, found that the markings on Stegodon bones, a type of extinct elephant, were similar to those made by Komodo dragons. The researchers believe that the hobbits may have used their tools to scavenge the raw Stegodon leftovers, rather than hunting the animals themselves.

The study also found that there was no evidence of fire use by the hobbits, which is considered a key evolutionary trait associated with large-brained hominins. The researchers analyzed rodent bones found in the Liang Bua cave, where the hobbit fossils were discovered, and found no evidence of charring.

Implications

The study’s findings have implications for our understanding of human evolution. The hobbits’ simpler behavioral repertoire may indicate an ancestry that separated from the Homo lineage prior to the development of more advanced behavioral adaptations. The study’s lead author, Dr. Elizabeth Grace Veatch, said that the findings ‘reinforce a long-held suspicion that Homo floresiensis is not a dwarfed form of Homo erectus but a descendant of a more primitive Homo habilis-like or Australopithecus-like form’.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.