Whence Homo floresiensis ? - The Fossil Chronicles - page 176

honeycombed in places with air bubbles . 72 It is very thick, like those of
the larger-skulled Homo erectus specimens (especially those from Asia)
rather than resembling the smaller but thinner skulls of Australopithecus
or the larger and thinner ones of Homo sapiens . 73 LB1's skull also has a
prominent brow ridge. Anthropologists who have compared external
measurements of Hobbit's skull with measurements from skulls of thou-
sands of humans from around the world and from 30 various fossil homi-
nins have concluded that the skull of Homo floresiensis is closer to those
of the Homo erectus fossils but resembles the skulls of KNM-ER 1813 and
OH 24 from Africa (which they include in Homo habilis ) to a slightly
lesser extent . 74
The jaws and teeth of Homo floresiensis tell a different story, according
to Peter Brown and Tomoko Maeda, of the University of New England,
in Australia. 75 Similarly to Homo erectus 's , the size of the molars is reduced
compared with those of australopithecines and earlier Homo. However,
the opposite is true for several other traits. The lower jaws from LB1
and another specimen (LB6) do not look like those from Homo erectus,
because they contain primitive-looking premolars (with double roots)
and lack true chins. The inside of the front ends of the lower jaws has
a little ledge that was typical for australopithecines and found also in
early Homo but not in Homo erectus. Interestingly, the form of the teeth
and their wear patterns are consistent with a tough, fibrous diet that
required a lot of chewing, as the raw meat that Hobbit may have eaten
would have. These jaws are distinctive.
Because LB1's skeleton is so complete, the size and general shape of
her body could be reconstructed with confidence (figure 29). Her esti-
mated weight of around 72 pounds falls within the range for modern
pygmies from Africa and Asia, but her body shape was markedly differ-
ent. As described by Bill Jungers and his colleagues, Hobbit's legs were
shorter than those of even the shortest living pygmies, but the lengths of
her arms were comparable to theirs . 76 This means that LB1 had arms that
were extraordinarily long compared with her legs, similar to those of the
famous australopithecine Lucy. The top part of her pelvis, near the hip,