Nearly two decades ago, scientists uncovered an unusual fossil leg bone in one of the deepest layers of Liang Bua cave in Indonesia, the famous discovery site of Homo Floresiensis, a tiny ancient hominin that anthropologists liken to the famous “Hobbits” from J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.
After its collection, the fossil remained unexamined for the next two decades. Once it was finally reexamined, researchers assumed it to belong to the family of ground-dwelling birds known as megapodes and began comparing it to other specimens of both living and extinct varieties.
That’s when they realized they had something far different from anything they had seen before.
Now, according to new findings, the mysterious fossil leg bone retrieved from the famous former home of Homo Floresiensis on Indonesia’s Flores Island reveals that a giant once inhabited the same region as much as 190,000 years ago.
The findings were published in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.
A Giant Megapode is Revealed
The extinct bird has been identified as Megapodius rokusi, a member of the megapode family, whose modern relatives that still thrive in parts of Southeast Asia incubate their eggs by constructing mounds of earth, garnering the nickname of “mound builder” birds.
While it was believed at the time of the fossil’s discovery that it was a bird bone, its unusual size and ultimate classification as a new species did not occur until recently.
Researchers now believe that M. rokusi would have weighed almost four kilograms (close to 8.6 pounds) when living, making it considerably larger than its relatives and securing its place as the largest known member of its genus.
The First of Its Kind
Notably, M. rokusi has also now been identified as the first megapode fossil researchers have identified in Wallacea, the region between mainland Asia and Australia. The species likely thrived in the region between around 120,000 and 190,000 years ago.
While the creature’s flight capabilities and other characteristics remain uncertain, as well as when it is believed to have gone extinct, researchers say the discovery offers important new insights into the island’s prehistoric biodiversity.
Could Similar Discoveries Await?
Additionally, the research team behind the findings says their discovery could signal another possibility: that similar previously unknown species that once inhabited Southeast Asia could await discovery.
“Southeast Asia is considered a biodiversity hotspot, but it is important to realize that what we see today is only a remnant of what once was,” said Hanneke Meijer, a professor and curator of osteology at the University Museum of Bergen, and lead author of the recent study detailing the discovery.
“I definitely think there might be more megapode fossils lying around,” Meijer added, “and I can’t wait to look at more material to find them.”
Meijer and his team’s paper, “A new species of megapode (Galliformes: Megapodiidae) from the Pleistocene of Liang Bua, Flores,” was published in the journal Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology on October 22, 2026.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.