Topic
Stegodon
About: Stegodon is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 139 publications have been published within this topic receiving 5017 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: The discovery of an adult hominin with stature and endocranial volume equal to the smallest-known australopithecines is reported, from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia, and shows that the genus Homo is morphologically more varied and flexible in its adaptive responses than previously thought.
Abstract: Currently, it is widely accepted that only one hominin genus, Homo, was present in Pleistocene Asia, represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. Both species are characterized by greater brain size, increased body height and smaller teeth relative to Pliocene Australopithecus in Africa. Here we report the discovery, from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia, of an adult hominin with stature and endocranial volume approximating 1 m and 380 cm3, respectively--equal to the smallest-known australopithecines. The combination of primitive and derived features assigns this hominin to a new species, Homo floresiensis. The most likely explanation for its existence on Flores is long-term isolation, with subsequent endemic dwarfing, of an ancestral H. erectus population. Importantly, H. floresiensis shows that the genus Homo is morphologically more varied and flexible in its adaptive responses than previously thought.
1,051 citations
TL;DR: Dating by radiocarbon, luminescence, uranium-series and electron spin resonance methods indicates that H. floresiensis existed from before 38,000 years ago (kyr) until at least 18 kyr, and originated from an early dispersal of Homo erectus that reached Flores and then survived on this island refuge until relatively recently.
Abstract: Excavations at Liang Bua, a large limestone cave on the island of Flores in eastern Indonesia, have yielded evidence for a population of tiny hominins, sufficiently distinct anatomically to be assigned to a new species, Homo floresiensis. The finds comprise the cranial and some post-cranial remains of one individual, as well as a premolar from another individual in older deposits. Here we describe their context, implications and the remaining archaeological uncertainties. Dating by radiocarbon (14C), luminescence, uranium-series and electron spin resonance (ESR) methods indicates that H. floresiensis existed from before 38,000 years ago (kyr) until at least 18 kyr. Associated deposits contain stone artefacts and animal remains, including Komodo dragon and an endemic, dwarfed species of Stegodon. H. floresiensis originated from an early dispersal of Homo erectus (including specimens referred to as Homo ergaster and Homo georgicus) that reached Flores, and then survived on this island refuge until relatively recently. It overlapped significantly in time with Homo sapiens in the region, but we do not know if or how the two species interacted.
535 citations
TL;DR: The evolution of the Quaternary faunal evolution for the Indonesian Archipelago reflects the unique relationship of each island with SE Asian mainland as mentioned in this paper, and the recent sub faunas of Sundaland (Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java, and Bali) preserved broad connections with the SE Asia mainland during the latest glacial.
322 citations
TL;DR: The Holocene sequence at the site also documents local faunal extinctions - a result of accelerating human population growth, habitat loss, and over-exploitation.
161 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2016 | 10 |