HOMO FLORESIENSIS

=Homo floresiensis= [image:http://i.imgur.com/TqFhO3m.png?1] ''Homo floresiensis'' was discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003. Fossils have been discovered from a number of individuals. The most complete fossil is of an adult female about 1 meter tall with a brain size of 417cc. Other fossils indicate that this was a normal size for ''floresiensis''. The small size of ''floresiensis'' and it's distance from Africa has puzzled many scientists. There are three main schools of thought: [image:http://i.imgur.com/sk64UjA.png?2] '''They are a dwarfed erectus''' It is believed that ''floresiensis'' is a surviving dwarf form of ''Homo erectus''''' - it is not uncommon for dwarfed forms of large mammals to evolve on islands. The limited resources selects for smaller sized individuals. ''H. floresiensis'' was fully bipedal, used stone tools and fire, and hunted dwarf elephants on the island. Note that while ''H. floresiensis'' had a relatively small cranial capacity (brain size), if this is compared to its overall body size, it is comparable with members of the ''erectus'' species. This is probably the most widely accepted explanation. '''An earlier Hominin left Africa''' It is possible that earlier hominids such as the ''australopithecines'' or ''homo habilis'' actually left Africa. If ''floresiensis'' was a direct descendant of one one of these earlier species, this would also explain it's small size. '''They are diseased Humans''' Some argue the findings represent diseased forms of ''Homo sapiens''. They argue that the small island population might have been founded by an individual with a genetic disorder that is responsible for their small size and peculiar morphology (features). [image:http://i.imgur.com/68s7G8b.png?1]