Until about 60,000 years ago, tiny human cousins called Homo floresiensis lived alongside giant reptiles and dwarfed elephants on the Indonesian island of Flores. These 'Hobbits', so named for their diminutive stature, shared a habitat with Komodo dragons, pygmy elephants, and even bigger rats.

Previous theories suggested that these Hobbits hunted and butchered dwarf elephants—a feat considering their small size. But new research from the University of Tübingen suggests that it was actually the Komodo dragons doing the hunting, while the Hobbits were content to scavenge what remained.

The evidence comes from bones found in the cave site known as Liang Bua. These bones show marks from both Komodo dragon teeth and stone tools, indicating a shared taste for Stegodon meat—the ancient relatives of today’s elephants that ranged between 1.25 to almost 2 meters tall.

By feeding a goat carcass to a Komodo dragon at Zoo Atlanta, researchers could compare the resulting damage to the bones found in Liang Bua. The marks on the Stegodon bones matched those left by the dragons’ serrated teeth, indicating that these small hominins were more likely scavengers than hunters.

These findings challenge our understanding of Homo floresiensis and could change how we view early human migration beyond Africa. It seems these Hobbits might have had a rather unconventional relationship with their giant reptilian neighbors.