Here’s why human hobbits became extinct 50,000 years ago

• Homo floresiensis, a human species nicknamed hobbits, were small people who lived on Flores Island in Indonesia. They disappeared about 50,000 years ago.
• New research shows a long-lasting drought reduced rainfall and dried up water sources, stressing their environment.
• Their main food source, the pygmy elephant Stegodon, also went extinct, likely contributing to the hobbits’ extinction.

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The human hobbits of Flores vanished due to drought

A small-statured human species, nicknamed hobbits, once lived on the Indonesian island of Flores. Formally named Homo floresiensis, these diminutive humans measured just over 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Mysteriously, they disappeared from the fossil record about 50,000 years ago.

On December 9, 2025, Australian and Indonesian scientists said they’ve found compelling evidence that these ancient humans perished due to a prolonged drought, caused by climate change. Plus, their primary source of food, the pygmy Stegodon elephant (Stegodon florensis insularis), also vanished from the fossil record around the same time.

H. floresiensis was first discovered in 2003 in the Liang Bua cave on Flores. Later, even more remains were found at the cave, along with tools once used by these ancient humans.

Mike Gagan, at the University of Wollongong Australia, is the lead author of the new study. He said:

Our results show that the ecosystem around Liang Bua became dramatically drier just around the time that Homo floresiensis vanished. Summer rainfall fell to about half of modern levels and river bed water sources became seasonally dry, placing ecological stress on both hobbits and their prey.

The researchers published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Communications Earth & Environment on December 8, 2025.

Evolving smaller body sizes on an island

Much of what we know about hobbits comes from the Liang Bua cave. The hobbits occupied that cave for tens of thousands of years. It’s where scientists first uncovered their remains, as well as the tools they once used.

Many scientists think hobbits descended from an ancient human species known as Homo erectus. About a million years ago, a group of H. erectus somehow arrived at Flores. They became isolated there, subsequently evolving to become small-statured humans due to a phenomenon called insular dwarfism. That’s when large animals confined to a small habitat, like an island, evolve to a reduced body size over many generations.

Besides the hobbits, another creature on Flores also evolved to have a small body size. It was a species of Stegodon, a now-extinct elephant that once inhabited Southeast Asia. On Flores, it evolved into a pygmy elephant known as Stegodon florensis insularis. It was a major source of food for the hobbits.

These small ancient humans disappeared from the fossil record 50,000 years ago. In this new study, the researchers presented evidence that a changing climate created arid conditions in the Liang Bua area. To make their case, they gathered data about seasonal rainfall over the last 40,000 years before the hobbits vanished.

Tracking rainfall over 40,000 years

Animals and plants need freshwater for survival. The scientists wondered: Was there enough water to sustain the hobbits’ habitat? To answer that question, the researchers investigated the history of seasonal rainfall during the final 40,000 years that hobbits inhabited the Liang Bua area. They did this by analyzing stalagmites from a nearby cave.

Stalagmites are mostly limestone rocks that rise up from the floor of a cave. They’re formed when water – containing calcium carbonate and small amounts of other dissolved minerals – drips from the ceiling and falls to the floor. The water evaporates, leaving the minerals behind. Consequently, the rock gradually grows as more water drips down on it.

Since stalagmites are formed by water, each section along the height of the rock holds a chemical record of the rainfall that created it. Specifically, the scientists looked at the ratio of magnesium to calcium, as well as amounts of the oxygen-18 isotope, to infer rainfall amounts.

In addition, the researchers also studied the fossil teeth of Flores’ now extinct pygmy elephant Stegodon florensis insularis. This creature was the primary prey of the hobbits. The level of specific oxygen isotopes in the fossilized Stegodon teeth indicated they relied on fresh water from low-flow rivers near Liang Bua. Moreover, the fossil record showed the Stegodon population declined precipitously about 61,000 years ago.

Drought caused major upheaval for human hobbits

Chemical analysis in the stalagmites revealed that around 76,000 years ago, the climate became drier. Then, between 61,000 and 55,000 years ago, the region around Liang Bua experienced severe summer drought. As a result, water sources in the area dried out in summer. This led to the decline and eventual demise of the pygmy elephants. In turn, that had a devastating impact on the hobbits, who relied on this animal as a food source. They were forced to abandon Liang Bua and eventually became extinct.

Gert van den Bergh, a paper co-author, also with the University of Wollongong, commented:

The synchronous declines in surface freshwater, Stegodon and Homo floresiensis after 61,000 years ago mark the compounding effects of ecological stress. Competition for dwindling water and food probably forced the hobbits to abandon Liang Bua altogether.

Meanwhile, modern humans were moving through Southeast Asia about 50,000 years ago. Gagan suggested:

It’s possible that as the hobbits moved in search of water and prey, they encountered modern humans elsewhere on the island. In that sense, climate change may have set the stage for their final disappearance.

Bottom line: Homo floresiensis, a small-statured human species known as hobbits, became extinct 50,000 years ago due to prolonged drought caused by climate change.

Source: Onset of summer aridification and the decline of Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua 61,000 years ago

Via University of Wollongong Australia

Read more: Hobbit human ancestors smaller than thought