A massive 146,000-year-old skull found in 1933 near Harbin, China, is now confirmed as Denisovan. Chinese scientists named it Homo longi ("dragon man"), and since Denisovans never received an official species name, that label may stick. Folk memories of "walking black dragons" in Manchuria might preserve real encounters with these people.
Dragon Man skull confirmed as Denisovan, may rename species
Key facts
- Skull found in 1933 by a worker during bridge construction over the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, northern China (Manchuria)
- Dated to 146,000 years old
- Largest skull ever officially examined by science, with massive brain capacity, huge eye sockets, wide mouth, and oversized teeth
- Officially named Homo longi by Chinese scientists, who initially claimed it was a new species unrelated to Denisovans
- Western scientists subsequently confirmed it as Denisovan; since Denisovans never received an official species name, the Chinese name Homo longi may stand, with Denisovans called "dragon men"
- Folk memories of "walking black dragons" in Manchuria described as simian-like men, possibly memory of Denisovans who existed until around 45,000 years ago
Sources
Ancient 'Dragon Man' skull from China isn't what we thoughtlivescience.com
Scientists have determined that a giant skull from an ancient human relative named the "Dragon Man" is actually Denisovan.
Scientists hail stunning 'Dragon Man' discoverybbc.com
Chinese researchers unveil an ancient skull that could belong to a completely new species of human.
Harbin craniumen.wikipedia.org
The Harbin cranium is a nearly complete skull of an archaic human thought to originate from sediments of the Songhua River near Harbin on the Northeast China ...
'Dragon Man' skull belongs to mysterious human relativescience.org
He dubbed the skull Homo longi—derived from the Mandarin word for dragon. Yet other bones that might eventually be identified as Denisovan ...
This is the first ever confirmed skull of a Denisovannationalgeographic.com
Artist John Gurche created this model, based on the "Dragon Man" skull, depicting how Homo longi may have appeared when they lived during the ...
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