Flores Island Pygmies Then and Now (IMAGE) Princeton University Caption A modern pygmy population evolved short stature independently of the extinct 'hobbit' pygmy species that lived on the same island -- Indonesia's Flores Island -- tens of thousands of years earlier, report Princeton's Serena Tucci, Joshua Akey and an international team of researchers. In this illustration, the modern pygmy village, Rampasasa, is shown at left; in the center, a modern Rampasasa pygmy wearing the traditional head covering and clothing is juxtaposed against the face of a Homo floresiensis reconstruction; at right, pygmy elephants play in the Liang Bua cave where theH. floresiensis fossils were discovered in 2004. Credit Illustration by Matilda Luk, Office of Communications, Princeton University Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.