Study Recasts 4,500 Flores Bones as Evidence Hobbits Scavenged, Not Hunted or Cooked
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 3
Study Recasts 4,500 Flores Bones as Evidence Hobbits Scavenged, Not Hunted or Cooked
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 3
Summary
A new Science Advances study argues Homo floresiensis on Flores survived by scavenging raw Stegodon meat left by Komodo dragons, not by hunting big game or cooking with fire.
Researchers compared 3D scans of marks on Stegodon bones with damage from a Komodo dragon feeding on a goat; most matched dragon tooth marks, while stone-tool cuts appeared on less meaty parts.
Fire evidence also weakened: none of 4,500 rodent bones from Liang Bua cave showed charring, and no Stegodon bones were burned, suggesting later burned remains came from Homo sapiens after about 46,000 years ago.
The findings challenge the idea that the 3.3-foot-tall hominin was Homo erectus-like and instead support a more primitive lineage that may have diverged before later Homo species developed more complex behavior.