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On the remote island of Flores, Indonesia, a small hominid known as Homo floresiensis He inhabited a world that, despite its isolation, was not without its challenges. Known as “hobbits” for their diminutive size—barely three feet tall—these early humans coexisted with equally unique fauna, such as dwarf elephants and giant lizards. However, approximately 50,000 years ago, both Homo floresiensis as their main prey, stegodonsdisappeared from the fossil record. A recent scientific study proposes a new explanation for this mystery, pointing to climate change as the decisive factor in the disappearance of these fascinating hominids.
An isolated and adapted species
The discovery of Homo floresiensis in 2003 in the Liang Bua cave was one of the most surprising of the 21st century. This hominid, with a small but apparently ingenious brain, used stone tools, hunted in groups and mastered fire. Their world was defined by isolation, since Flores was separated from other territories by deep seas. This natural barrier created a unique ecosystem, where animals evolved into dwarf or giant forms in response to limited resources.
The diet of the “hobbits” depended largely on the stegodons insular elephants, a species of dwarf elephant adapted to the conditions of the island. However, this balance was broken about 50,000 years ago.an event that many researchers attributed to the arrival of the Homo sapiens. New studies, however, suggest that climate change played a crucial role in this extinction.
The shadow of climate change
Analysis of stalagmites from a cave near Liang Bua allowed researchers to reconstruct the weather patterns of Flores during the period in which Homo floresiensis lived. These samples revealed a drastic drop in the amount of rain between 76,000 and 55,000 years ago, with a 38% decrease in average annual rainfall. The summers became especially drywith rainfall up to 51% less than current levels, which significantly reduced freshwater sources.
The dependence of stegodons of large amounts of water made them especially vulnerable. As rivers and lakes dried up, these animals likely migrated to wetter areas in search of survival. This movement must have had a direct impact on Homo floresiensiswhich depended on them not only as a food source, but also as an integral part of its ecosystem.
Failed survival strategies
Although the Flores hobbits were adapted to the harsh conditions of the island, the climatic changes were too rapid and extreme to allow evolutionary adaptation. Without enough water, tensions must have increased, not only between the Homo floresiensis and the stegodonsbut also within the human community itself.
The possibility that Homo sapiens arriving on the island during this time adds another layer of complexity. Although evidence suggests that modern humans did not arrive on Flores until about 4,000 years after the hobbits disappeared, it is possible that Sporadic encounters on the coast have accelerated the disappearance of these small hominids and their prey.
Beyond Flores: lessons for the present
The case of Homo floresiensis is a reminder of how climate changes can alter entire ecosystems, putting species that depend on specific resources at risk. Although these hominids and the stegodons demonstrated a remarkable capacity to adapt to the limitations of island life, climate change represented an insurmountable challenge.
Today, in a world where climate change continues to transform landscapes and threaten biodiversity, the fate of Homo floresiensis takes on a deeper meaning. It shows us how the ability to adapt—or not—to alterations in the environment can determine our survival as a species.
References:
- Gagan, MK, Ayliffe, LK, Scroxton, N., Hantoro, WS, Puspaningrum, MR, van den Bergh, GD, … & Rifai, H. (2024). Disappearance of Homo floresiensis from Liang Bua alongside seasonal aridification of Flores 61,000–47,000 years ago (Preprint). EarthArXiv.
