Homo Floresiensis
Discuss what you believe Homo floresiensis to be – a “one off” freak version of Homo erectus, a separate and very unique species, or something else . . .
Homo floresiensis was a hominoid discovered in a cave called Liang Bua on an Indonesia island. She was examined to be from 17,000 years ago and nicknamed “the Hobbit” because she was only around a meter tall even though she was an adult. What was more amazing about this hominoid was the small cranial capacity of 417 cc, much smaller than a typical early Homo and a lower body part that resembled an australopithecine. Despite the fact that she had a chimp-sized brain and small body, she used sophisticated flake tools made from hard pieces of stone chipped off a larger block and hunted animals. Through the examination of their habitat, scientists proposed that H. floresiensis was the descendant of a hominoid that left Africa earlier than did Homo erectus, thus making them different species but share a common ancestor. I agree with this theory and believe H. floresiensis is indeed a unique and distinct species.
There are several evidences supporting my opinion. Her femurs were 28 centimeters long and were equal to those of the smallest Homo habilis but shorter than those of the Australopithecus afarensis. She had very little forehead, distinctive brow ridges, and no chin. Peculiarly, her ratio of arm length to leg length was 85.4 in which was about the same as that of A. afarensis but outside of the range of the genus Homo. Furthermore, her small brain size did not imply that she was microcephalic, a neurodevelopmental disorder that leads to tiny head. In contrast to a microcephalic brain, her brain exhibited well development in areas of higher brain functions, such as frontal and temporal lobes. This fact overthrows the hypothesis saying that her brain was too small to be capable of intelligent thinking and performing basic functions like learning and making tools. In addition, the mandibles of other H.
Homo floresiensis was a hominoid discovered in a cave called Liang Bua on an Indonesia island. She was examined to be from 17,000 years ago and nicknamed “the Hobbit” because she was only around a meter tall even though she was an adult. What was more amazing about this hominoid was the small cranial capacity of 417 cc, much smaller than a typical early Homo and a lower body part that resembled an australopithecine. Despite the fact that she had a chimp-sized brain and small body, she used sophisticated flake tools made from hard pieces of stone chipped off a larger block and hunted animals. Through the examination of their habitat, scientists proposed that H. floresiensis was the descendant of a hominoid that left Africa earlier than did Homo erectus, thus making them different species but share a common ancestor. I agree with this theory and believe H. floresiensis is indeed a unique and distinct species.
There are several evidences supporting my opinion. Her femurs were 28 centimeters long and were equal to those of the smallest Homo habilis but shorter than those of the Australopithecus afarensis. She had very little forehead, distinctive brow ridges, and no chin. Peculiarly, her ratio of arm length to leg length was 85.4 in which was about the same as that of A. afarensis but outside of the range of the genus Homo. Furthermore, her small brain size did not imply that she was microcephalic, a neurodevelopmental disorder that leads to tiny head. In contrast to a microcephalic brain, her brain exhibited well development in areas of higher brain functions, such as frontal and temporal lobes. This fact overthrows the hypothesis saying that her brain was too small to be capable of intelligent thinking and performing basic functions like learning and making tools. In addition, the mandibles of other H.
References: 1. Steckley, J. (2011). Introduction to Physical Anthropology. Don Mills, ON: Oxford.