News Anthropology

‘Hobbits’ likely scavenged dragons’ kills

The miniature hominids don't appear to have slain island elephant kin nor used fire

A reconstruction of the face and upper body of hobbit Homo floresiensis.

“Hobbits” (Homo floresiensis), shown in this reconstruction of the head of the now-extinct hominid, lived on what is now the island of Flores in Indonesia. New analysis of bones found with their remains suggests they scavenged for some of their food, challenging what scientists thought they knew about the behavior of our tiny relatives.

Karen Neoh (CC BY 1.0)

By Jake Buehler

Long ago on the Indonesian island of Flores, Komodo dragons ate first, ripping into the flesh of cow-sized elephant kin and stripping their bones.