Homo floresiensis Quiz: The Hobbit Fossils of Liang Bua

This homo floresiensis quiz squeezes into a limestone cave on Flores. Play 10 interactive questions on the 2003 discovery at Liang Bua, publication in 2004, a height of about one meter, a small brain, stone tools, dwarf elephant relatives called Stegodon, island dwarfism and revised dates showing the species lived until about 50,000 years ago.

Start Homo floresiensis Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Island
On which island was Homo floresiensis found?
Cave
In which cave were the fossils found?
Year
When were the fossils discovered?
Nick
What is the species' nickname?
Height
About how tall was Homo floresiensis?
Brain
What was notable about its brain?
Tools
What did they leave behind?
Steg
Which dwarf animals lived on Flores?
Dwarf
What process may explain their small size?
Dates
How recently did the species likely survive?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: On which island was Homo floresiensis found?
Answer: Flores
In Indonesia.
Q2: In which cave were the fossils found?
Answer: Liang Bua
A limestone cave.
Q3: When were the fossils discovered?
Answer: 2003
Published in 2004.
Q4: What is the species' nickname?
Answer: The hobbit
Due to its size.
Q5: About how tall was Homo floresiensis?
Answer: About one meter
Very small.
Q6: What was notable about its brain?
Answer: It was very small
Yet they made tools.
Q7: What did they leave behind?
Answer: Stone tools
Simple tools.
Q8: Which dwarf animals lived on Flores?
Answer: Stegodon, elephant relatives
Also hunted.
Q9: What process may explain their small size?
Answer: Island dwarfism
Limited resources.
Q10: How recently did the species likely survive?
Answer: Until about 50,000 years ago
After revised dating.

The Hobbits of Flores

In 2003 an Australian and Indonesian team excavating Liang Bua, a limestone cave on the island of Flores in Indonesia, found the bones of a tiny human. Published in 2004, the species was named Homo floresiensis and nicknamed the hobbit.

These humans stood about one meter tall and had very small brains, yet they made stone tools. Flores was also home to Stegodon, dwarf relatives of elephants, and many scientists think island dwarfism, evolving small size with limited resources, shaped the hobbits too.

Early dates suggested they lived very recently, but revised dating shows the species likely survived until about 50,000 years ago. Its origins are still debated, making it one of the most intriguing human relatives.

What This Quiz Teaches

Science fans will enjoy these questions.

Where they were found
When they were discovered
How small they were
What they left behind
Why they were small

Did You Know?

Komodo dragons also live on Flores.
Giant rats lived on the island.
Older fossils were found elsewhere on Flores.
Their wrists looked primitive.
Debate over their origins continues.