Discovery of China’s Dragon Man

Discovery of China’s Dragon Man

Subject : Science & tech

Context: Recently, the researchers from China have claimed to have found an ancient human skull that could belong to an altogether new species of humans.

Concept :

• The researchers working in Israel have also identified a previously unknown kind of ancient human called “NesherRamla Homo” that co-existed with Homo sapiens nearly 100,000 years ago.

Key Highlights

• The researchers have noted that the cranium (the portion that encloses the brain) could be over 146,000 years old.
• The skull was found in the Songhua River in north-east China’s Harbin city.
• The findings from the site in Israel have been dated to 140,000-120,000 years ago.
• The members of the species Nesher Ramla Homo could hunt small and large game and they used wood for fuel, cooked and roasted meat, and maintained fires.
• Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are believed to be the closest extinct human relatives and lived about 400,000-40,000 years ago in Europe and southwestern to central Asia.
• As per the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, there are over 21 human species .

How China’s Dragon fit in the definition of human?

• The cranium found in China has been dubbed the “Dragon Man” or Homo longi.
• The name has been derived from the Long Jiang or Dragon River in the Heilongjiang province of China where the city of Harbin is located.
• The skull was reportedly discovered back in 1933, when a bridge was built over the Songhua River.
• The UK’s Natural History Museum notes that because of the distinctive shape of the skull, which was found almost complete, some members of the team have suggested that it be declared a part of a new species of the genus Homo.
• The size of the skull, which has a considerable brain capacity, is comparable to that of modern humans and Neanderthals.

Songhua River

• It flows northward out of the Changbai Mountains and cuts across the Manchurian Plain before emptying into the Amur River, which separates northeastern China from Russia’s Far East.
• It is the largest tributary of the Heilong River.
• The source of the river is a crater lake called Heavenly Lake with an elevation of 2,189 meters at the top of the ChangbaiMountain.
• It is considered that its Chinese name “Songhua” is from its Manchurian pronunciation “Songga-liwula”.