These hobbits mysteriously disappeared from their primary habitat — not the Shire, but the Liang Bua cave on the island of Flores — about 50,000 years ago. Upon their discovery, scientists debated whether these hobbits were the result of island-induced dwarfism or if they arrived at the island already short in height. The scientists determined this by studying the chemical composition of stalagmites, which grow droplet by mineralized water droplet at a time. Analyzing chemicals within these limestone formations enabled researchers to reconstruct past rainfall and climate conditions around the Liang Bua cave. “In that sense, climate change may have set the stage for their final disappearance.”More on Homo floresiensis: Scientist Says There May Be a Species of Hobbit-Like Humanoids Hiding on an Island