‘Hobbit’ humans were shrunk by island’s limited resources

Tiny “hobbit-like” humans discovered in Indonesia were once normal sized but shrank after getting trapped on an island, scientists now believe.

For more than a decade experts have argued over the origins of the Homo floresiensis whose remains were first found on the island of Flores in 2003, dating from around 100,000 years ago. The hominin stood just 3ft 6in tall and some experts argued that its short stature was the result of Down’s syndrome or even microcephaly – abnormal smallness of the head.

Now, scientists have found the ancestors of the hominin, dating from 700,000 years ago and they were even smaller, around 3ft in height.

Crucially, they bear a striking resemblance to the taller species Homo erectus, leading scientists to conclude that the larger hominids spread to Indonesia then got trapped on Flores and became smaller because of a lack of food and resources.