Denisovan fossils found near Taiwan suggest large body size

Researchers studying ancient human remains recovered from the waters between Taiwan and the Penghu Islands suggest that Denisovans, an elusive extinct relative of humans, may have been significantly larger than previously thought. The findings are based on fossil specimens known as Penghu 2 and Penghu 3, which are approximately 45,000 years old.

Protein testing on a jawbone from the same site, Penghu 1, identified it as belonging to a male Denisovan. Similar analysis suggests the leg bones Penghu 2 and Penghu 3 also belong to the species. Size estimates indicate that the individual associated with Penghu 3 may have stood nearly 190 centimeters (approximately 6 feet 3 inches) and weighed close to 200 pounds. The individual associated with Penghu 2 may have been about 5-foot-11 and weighed around 182 pounds.

These dimensions would have been striking for the Late Pleistocene, likely exceeding the size of many Homo sapiens, Homo erectus, and Neanderthals living at the time. Because much of the existing knowledge regarding Denisovans is derived from genetics rather than complete skeletons, these physical remains provide critical data regarding their anatomy, body size, and geographic range across Asia.