Homo floresiensis is a small-bodied hominin from Flores, Indonesia, that exhibits plesiomorphic dentognathic features, including large premolars and a robust mandible, aspects of which have been considered australopith-like. However, relative to australopith species, H. floresiensis exhibits reduced molar size and a cranium with diminutive midfacial dimensions similar to those of later Homo, suggesting a reduction in the frequency of forceful biting behaviours. Our study uses finite-element analysis to examine the feeding biomechanics of the H. floresiensis cranium. We simulate premolar (P³) and molar (M²) biting in a finite-element model (FEM) of the H. floresiensis holotype cranium (LB1) and compare the mechanical results with FEMs of chimpanzees, modern humans and a sample of australopiths (MH1, Sts 5, OH5). With few exceptions, strain magnitudes in LB1 resemble elevated levels observed in modern Homo. Our analysis of LB1 suggests that H. floresiensis could produce bite forces with high mechanical efficiency, but was subject to tensile jaw joint reaction forces during molar biting, which perhaps constrained maximum postcanine bite force production. The inferred feeding biomechanics of H. floresiensis closely resemble modern humans, suggesting that this pattern may have been present in the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens and H. floresiensis.

Homo floresiensis是一种来自印度尼西亚弗洛雷斯的体型较小的人类，具有相似的牙颌特征，包括大前磨牙和坚固的下颌骨，其某些方面被认为与南方古猿相似。然而，相对于南方古猿物种，H. floresiensis的摩尔尺寸减小，头盖骨的中面部尺寸与后来的人类相似，这表明用力咬人行为的频率有所降低。我们的研究使用有限元分析来检查H. floresiensis颅骨的摄食生物力学。我们在H. floresiensis的有限元模型 (FEM) 中模拟前磨牙 (P ³ ) 和磨牙 (M ^{2 ) 咬合}正型颅骨 (LB1) 并将机械结果与黑猩猩、现代人类和南方古猿样本 (MH1、Sts 5、OH5) 的 FEM 进行比较。除了少数例外，LB1 中的应变幅度类似于现代人中观察到的升高水平。我们对 LB1 的分析表明，H. floresiensis可以产生具有高机械效率的咬合力，但在臼齿咬合过程中受到拉伸颌关节反作用力的影响，这可能会限制犬后牙咬合力的产生。H. floresiensis推断的摄食生物力学与现代人类非常相似，这表明这种模式可能存在于智人和 H. floresiensis 的最后一个共同祖先中。