Homo floresiensis ("
Flores Man"; nicknamed "
hobbit" and "Flo") is an extinct species widely believed to be in the genus
Homo. The remains of an individual that would have stood about in height were discovered in 2003 on the island of
Flores in
Indonesia. Partial skeletons of nine individuals have been recovered, including one complete skull, referred to as "LB1". These remains have been the subject of intense research to determine whether they represent a
species distinct from modern humans. This
hominin is remarkable for its small body and
brain and for its survival until relatively recent times (possibly as recently as 12,000 years ago). Recovered alongside the skeletal remains were
stone tools from
archaeological horizons ranging from 94,000 to 13,000 years ago. Some scholars suggest that the historical
H. floresiensis may be connected by
folk memory to
ebu gogo myths prevalent on the isle of Flores.