Indonesian scientists have found a community of pygmy people in the eastern island of Flores.
The community is near a village where Australian scientists discovered a dwarf-sized skeleton last year and declared it a new human species.
The latest discovery will likely raise more controversy over the finding of Homo floresiensis, claimed by Australian scientists Mike Morwood and Peter Brown in September. They nick-named the skeleton a hobbit.
Kompas daily reported yesterday that the pygmy community had been found during an April 18-24 expedition in the village of Rampapasa, about 1km from the village of Liang Bua, where the species called Homo floresiensis was found.
The newspaper quoted Koeshardjono, a biologist who discovered the pygmy village, saying 77 families had been found there.
Teuku Jacob, a professor at Gadjah Mada University, who led the human anthropology research team, said 80 per cent of the Rampapasa villagers were small, with most male adults under 145cm and female adults about 135cm ... Herald Sun
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