Study: Hobbits Were a Species

Researchers from Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York have determined that "hobbits" were not descendants of healthy humans dwarfed by disease, but instead were a distinct ancient human species, according to U.S. News & World Report .

Professor Mike Morwood stirred up international intrigue with his discovery of Homo floresiensis -- dubbed the hobbit because of its small size and big feet -- on Flores, an Indonesian island, in 2003. Morwood said the creatures existed on the remote island until about 12,000 years ago.

While some said he had discovered a new human species, others claimed the dwarfs were just ordinary modern humans who suffered from a disease that made them smaller.

Using statistical analysis on skeletal remains of a well-preserved female specimen, the new research determined the hobbit to be a distinct species that had a skull capacity similar to chimps and early "ape-men."

The researchers also found that the hobbit humans were much smaller than modern-day pygmies.

Details of the study appear in the December issue of Significance , the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society.

One of the most bizarre features of the hobbit species was their giant feet. Its feet were much larger in proportion to its body than those of modern humans, and lacked arches, leading to further speculation that they were a unique species.