--- title: "Scientist Says There May Be a Species of Hobbit-Like Humanoids Hiding on an Island" description: "It's been nearly 20 years since the bones of a Hobbit-like humanoid species were discovered — and according to one researcher, they may still be among us. " date: "2022-04-19" modified: "2022-04-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/scientist-hobbits-hiding-island" categories: - "Evolution" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "ancient hominids" - "anthropology" - "evolution" - "paleontology" --- # Scientist Says There May Be a Species of Hobbit-Like Humanoids Hiding on an Island ![It's been nearly 20 years since the bones of a Hobbit-like humanoid species were discovered — and according to one researcher, they may still be among us. ]() *\Image: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images\* It's been nearly 20 years since the bones of a Hobbit-like humanoid species were found on the Indonesian island of Flores — and according to one researcher, there may be more than ancient bones. In [an essay for *The Scientist* magazine](), retired ethnobiologist Gregory Forth describes why he believes *Homo floresiensis*, as they were called by the famous late anthropologist Mike Morwood when he found the Pleistocene-era bones on Flores in 2004, may still be alive and well in the forests of the island. Morwood's [discovery of *H. floresiensis*]() rocked the scientific world when he first reported his findings. In Forth's words, it was "tantamount to the discovery of a space alien." This humanoid species, [dubbed "the Hobbit" by pop culture](), was presumed to be extinct — but as Forth details in his forthcoming book "Between Ape and Human," a local tribe called the Lio have described encounters with a diminutive creature which he believes may be one and the same as *H. floresiensis*. "My aim in writing the book was to find the best explanation — that is, the most rational and empirically best supported — of Lio accounts of the creatures," Forth wrote. "These include reports of sightings by more than 30 eyewitnesses, all of whom I spoke with directly. And I conclude that the best way to explain what they told me is that a non-*sapiens* hominin has survived on Flores to the present or very recent times." The enthnobiologist describes how in Lio mythology, humans can transform into other species as part of "moving into new environments and adopting new ways of life" — a myth, according to his description of his fieldwork, which could suggest a connection between humans and their *H. floresiensis* ancestors. Though he leaves the physiological details of this purportedly uncontacted humanoid species to be read in his book, Forth does note that the Lio people find "the ape-man’s appearance as something incompletely human" which, by his estimation, is "problematic and disturbing" to this indigenous group. He also stumbles onto an indictment of anthropology as a whole, which many critics have rightfully called out for its [imperialist history of racist harm](). "Paleontologists and other life scientists would do well to incorporate such Indigenous knowledge into continuing investigations of hominin evolution in Indonesia and elsewhere," Forth wrote in *The Scientist*. The researcher may not yet have a smoking gun, but his assessment of his field is spot on. **READ MORE:** [Opinion: Another Species of Hominin May Still Be Alive]() \[*The Scientist*\] **More hominins:** *[These Alien-Looking Skulls Are Actually Human, Expert Says]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()