Ebu Gogo Vs Homo Floresiensis

2004 presented a significant discovery for archaeologists and anthropologists around the world. A cave on the Indonesian island of Flores has remained submerged for thousands of years, and thus recently excavated to discover the remains of a possible new species. The question in concern literally debates whether the remains were that of abnormally small Homo sapiens (human), or an entirely new species of evolved chimpanzees. In 2009, cladistic analysis confirmed the latter of the two. Could Homo floresiensis (Flores Man, aka Hobbit) have any relation to the cryptozoological Ebu Gogo reportedly sighted by the islanders?

Studies estimate the species to have existed only 13,000 years ago; inhabiting Asia and other small islands aside humans. Though the relationship among the two species is unknown, confrontation is likely. The skeletal remains average three feet in length, weighing barely over 50 pounds, and developed skulls comparable to the size of a grapefruit. A volcanic eruption is likely the cause of extinction...or is it?

The Ebu Gogo are mythical human-like creatures that have been sighted on the island of Flores. Though the folklore of this bizarre species is attributed to local tales of an exaggerated nature, the discovery of Homo floresiensis provides further debate to cryptozoologists. If such an existence is factual, the similarities to the "Flores Man" may open room for interpretation, and provide evidence, once again, that myths are often associated to reality. Other cryptids such as the Orang Pendek of Sumatra may also oppose the fictitious accounts of small, ape-like men residing in the region.

To conclude, I personally believe this extraction of Homo floresiensis to be remarkable and insightful to evolution. Of course, it would prove more fascinating if certainty declared the species to be more human than ape. If this is the case, the Hobbits we have only read about in fantasy and folklore may prove more realistic than previously estimated, and thus question a history of superstition and fables. In either case, a profound translation of evolution from fantasy and mythology is yet to emerge.

National Geographic: Hobbit-like human ancestor found in Asia (2004). Retrieved Nov 24, 2009 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1027_041027_homo_floresiensis.html