2. Homo floresensis, a.k.a. tiny prehistoric humans

Hobbit,
originally uploaded by Art or Idiocy?.

In late October news reports announced the discovery of a new branch in the path of human evolution, and I have been fascinated by descriptions of these three-foot-tall creatures that scientists adamantly attest are not a pygmy variation of Homo sapiens but rather a separate species. As a rather short young woman – partnered with a man 120% life size (he's 6') and by extension his family – mother at 5'11" and father at 6'4" I often feel like a tiny person myself. This newly-uncovered species seems to be my kindred folk. My favorite part: in two brief New York Times articles I read, the authors apparently thought diminutive species were so cute that they were referred to as th "little Floresians" a total of TEN times.