Thousands of Years Ago, Denisovans Might Have Been Huge, Especially Compared to Their Archaic Human Neighbors
New research offers rare insight into our extinct cousins who lived in Asia and who may have towered over petite "Homo erectus"
Approximately 400,000 to 30,000 years ago, Denisovans, a group of hominins sharing a close relationship with modern humans and Neanderthals, inhabited various regions across Asia. Only a limited number of fossils have been discovered since their identification in 2010, leaving numerous questions about their physiology, behavior, and eventual extinction.
New research, published on August 8 in the bioRxiv preprint server, suggests that some Denisovans may have been particularly large, offering insights into the physical appearance of these extinct relatives. Fossilized leg bones from two Denisovan individuals, Penghu 2 and Penghu 3, who lived between 45,000 and 43,000 years ago, were analyzed.
The researchers estimated that Penghu 2 weighed around 183 pounds and stood nearly 5 feet 11 inches tall, while Penghu 3 was even larger, weighing approximately 200 pounds and standing more than 6 feet 2 inches tall. These figures indicate that Penghu 2 and Penghu 3 were significantly taller and heavier than other hominins, such as Homo erectus, by nearly a foot and over 60 pounds, respectively.
The researchers believe these Denisovans may have been "big and imposing humans," potentially providing an advantage in hunting large animals and covering long distances in search of food. The findings also highlight a gap in our understanding of Denisovans in East and Southeast Asia during the species' later existence, with no information about their biology in coastal regions, river valleys of China, and mainland Southeast Asia.
Written by urgent.news from Smithsonian's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
