| Abstract: |
Homo floresiensis—the holotype of which stood ~106 cm tall, weighed ~27.5 kg, and had a brain ~426 cm3—is the taxonomic name given to hominin remains discovered in Late Pleistocene deposits at Liang Bua, a limestone cave on the Indonesian island of Flores. This species, and the skeletal and cultural remains attributed to it, has been the source of considerable scientific and public interest as well as intense debate since its discovery was first announced. A major implication of the discovery of this extinct taxon is that modern humans (Homo sapiens) once shared this planet with Neandertals and Denisovans as well as H. floresiensis, which also walked bipedally and made and used stone tools but had a brain size, body proportions, and other primitive features not seen within the genus Homo for the past ~1.5 million years. Prior to ~50 thousand years ago human biological diversity was significantly greater than it is presently when the only hominins remaining are members of a single species, H. sapiens. This chapter overviews key aspects about what is currently known about this taxon and how this knowledge differs from or extends upon the initial studies of H. floresiensis. It also outlines how new discoveries and further research will continue to improve and reshape our understanding of the biology and culture of this intriguing human species.
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