Indonesian 'Hobbits' may have died out sooner than thought

The Liang Bua cave where the remains of Homo floresiensis were found. Rosino, Wikimedia Commons

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But the mystery of what happened to these creatures remains.

RCHE archaeologist Dr Adam Brumm, who also participated in the study, said Hobbits are likely to have inhabited other Flores caves which may yield more recent signs of their existence. He believes Homo floresiensis probably suffered the same fate that befell Europe's Neanderthals - our species simply out-competed and replaced them within a few thousand years.

"They might have retreated to more remote parts of Flores, but it's a small place and they couldn't have avoided our species for long. I think their days were numbered the moment we set foot on the island."

Source: Griffith University news release.

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