Homo luzonensis
Homo luzonensis | |
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CCH6a–e, molar and premolar teeth | |
CCH1, a 67,000 year old third metatarsal bone | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Haplorhini |
Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
Family: | Hominidae |
Subfamily: | Homininae |
Tribe: | Hominini |
Genus: | Homo |
Species: | †H. luzonensis
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Binomial name | |
†Homo luzonensis Détroit et al., 2019[1]
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Homo luzonensis, also locally called "Ubag" after a mythical caveman,
Their ancestors, who may have been Asian H. erectus or some other even earlier Homo, would have needed to have made a sea crossing of several miles[a] at minimum to reach the island. Archaic human presence on Luzon dates to as early as 771,000 to 631,000 years ago.[5] The inhabitants of the cave dragged in mainly Philippine deer carcasses, and used tools for butchering.
Taxonomy
The first remains were discovered in 2007 in
The
The exact taxonomic placement of H. luzonensis is unknown, and, like for other tropical hominins, DNA extraction failed.[1] It is possible that—like what is hypothesized for H. floresiensis from Flores, Indonesia—H. luzonensis descended from an early H. erectus dispersal across Southeast Asia. It is also possible that these two insular archaic humans descend from an entirely different Homo species possibly earlier than H. erectus.[7][8] The bones were dated to before 50,000 years ago,[1] and there is evidence of hominin activity on the island as early as 771,000 – 631,000 years ago.[5]
Anatomy
million years ago ) |
Like other
The teeth of H. luzonensis are small and mesiodistally (the width of the tooth) shortened. The molars are smaller than those of H. floresiensis. Like other recent Homo and modern humans, the molars decrease in size towards the back of the mouth, and the enamel-dentin juncture lacks well defined wavy crenulations. The enamel-dentine juncture is most similar to that of Asian H. erectus. The premolars are oddly large compared to the molars, with more similar proportions to Paranthropus than any other Homo, though H. luzonensis postcanine teeth differ greatly from those of Paranthropus in size and shape. H. luzonensis premolars share many characteristics with those of Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and early Homo.[1]
The finger bones are long, narrow, and curved, which is seen in Australopithecus, H. floresiensis, and sometimes modern humans. They are dorso-palmarly (from the palm to the back of the hand) compressed, and have well developed flexor sheath attachment, which are seen in Australopithecus and the early H. habilis. Unique to H. luzonensis, the dorsal beak near the knuckle was strongly developed and angled towards the wrist rather than the finger. The foot bones are morphologically unique among Homo, and are distinguishable from those of A. africanus and A. afarensis. Australopithecus limbs are generally interpreted as being adaptations for bipedalism and potentially suspensory behavior in the trees, but the fragmentary record of H. luzonensis limits extrapolation of locomotory behavior.[1]
Since the remains are so fragmentary, it is difficult to make accurate estimates of actual size for this species, but they may have been within the range of modern day Philippine Negritos, who average 151 cm (4 ft 11 in) in height for males and 142 cm (4 ft 8 in) for females.[8]
Culture
Because Luzon has always been an island in the
About 90% of the bone fragments from Callao Cave belong to the Philippine deer, which suggests that deer carcasses were periodically brought into the cave. With the exception of Palawan (where there were tigers), there is no evidence of large carnivores ever inhabiting the Philippines during the Pleistocene, which attributes these remains to human activity. The Philippine warty pig and an extinct bovid were also present. There are cut marks on a deer tibia, and a lack of tools in the cave could either have resulted from the use of organic material for tools rather than stone, or the processing of meat away from the cave.[10]
The Rizal Archaeological Site situated in
See also
- Denisovan – Asian archaic human
- Homo floresiensis – Archaic human from Flores, Indonesia
- Homo naledi – South African archaic human species
- Neanderthal – Extinct Eurasian species or subspecies of archaic humans
- Tabon Man – Oldest modern human remains from the Philippines
Notes
- ^ Given that this crossing may have happened at any time over the course of a few 10s of millennia, many failed or successful phases or methods of transference may have occurred. The means by which these hominids ultimately arrived on Luzon is not a settled question but their establishment of permanent residence and subsequent isolation there is now well established. See ancient maritime history for more.
References
- ^ S2CID 106411053.
- ^ Panela, Shai (April 12, 2019). "Fossils Of Ancient Human Species Unearthed In The Philippines". Asian Scientist.
- ^ Gascon, Melvin. "Philippine cave discovery: Meet 'Homo luzonensis'". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- ^ Rainer Grün, Chris Stringer, Direct dating of human fossils and the ever-changing story of human evolution. Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 322, 2023, 108379, ISSN 0277-3791
- ^ S2CID 13742336.
- PMID 20569967.
- PMID 30971838.
- ^ S2CID 146786512.
- S2CID 189045520.
- PMID 20569967.
- ISSN 1835-1794.)
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: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2024 (link - ISSN 1040-6182.
External links
- Zimmer, Carl (April 10, 2019). "A New Human Species Once Lived in This Philippine Cave – Archaeologists in Luzon Island have turned up the bones of a distantly related species, Homo luzonensis, further expanding the human family tree". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- Media related to Homo luzonensis at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Homo luzonensis at Wikispecies