This week I decided to focus on the Homo floresiensis, or as some may call it the “hobbit”. These creatures are interesting because they have been compared to being very similar to that of Homo habilis, with their long arms, unarched feet and big teeth, yet they are significantly smaller than many of the species looked at this week and all come from a specific place. The Homo floresiensis, from the place of Flores, seem to have smaller brains than normal and average about three feet tall. The height of this species can help anthropologists suggest many things; for one thing it can help show that there was much variation among different Homo type species millions of years ago. The fact that this Homo sub-species was capable of branching off and making all of their offspring to have these very distinct features, such as being shorter than average.

This species was also one to show stone tool use, despite the limited resources and unusually small brain. For scientists, this could be helpful in suggesting although their clear differences, this species may be linked or related to other Homo, and are able to grow and evolve in to such distinct features as different species evolve. Further, the species such as Homo floresiensis could come to confuse anthropologists even more. Beside the initial belief of the species becoming small because of being stranded and having limited resources, there has been evidence recently they may have come from an African Savannah and were sort of destined to have their short stature all along.

Despite all different leading theories and thoughts by scientists, it is definitely for sure that this species is one of the most interesting and perplexing cases. They have been shown to be more closely related to apes than the humans we see today, might have not been able to create complex tools because of certain features, yet show evidence of some tool use, and have slightly larger brains than some apes, yet have a smaller brain than some of the different Homo species discussed. Another interesting thing is that they disappeared suddenly about 17,000 years ago. Thinking about where and what might have happened to species that exist now if they had continued to survive, evolve and adapt is interesting. The mere idea of these ever existing confuses anthropologists, and again adds another layer of complexity to the already messy and confusing idea of where humans and apes evolved from, and why different species have lived and may have lived at different times and where it all connects. Such a complex species strays the completion of that puzzle further and further — in a good way. If we were all have the right answers at the right times, then the puzzle of human evolution would not be as fun… it is good to have holes in the plot in some ways as it gives future anthropologists a chance to come in with fresh eyes and maybe look at things like situation in a new way. That is essentially the way we evolve and have evolved in the past.