Homo longi

Homo longi Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene 0.146 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
HBSM2018-000018(A) cranium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hominidae
Subfamily:	Homininae
Tribe:	Hominini
Genus:	Homo
Species:	†H. longi
Binomial name
Homo longi Ji et al., 2021

Homo longi, also called the "Dragon Man", was a proposed species of extinct human. The species was proposed based on the Harbin cranium, a fossil skull found in China.

Discovery & controversy

In two papers published almost at the same time, Ji and his colleagues claimed that the Harbin skull represented a new species. They named it "Homo longi," or Dragon Man. "Long, the dragon" is a symbol of Chinese nationalism.

However, the naming of Homo longi was controversial because the classification was based only on the Harbin skull, not on DNA evidence. Paleoanthropologist María Martinón-Torres said: “It’s premature to name a new species, especially a fossil with no context”.

In June 2025, Chinese scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed the Harbin cranium's mitochondrial DNA and endogenous proteins. They found that the fossil belonged to a Denisovan, another species of extinct human.

Anatomy

The Harbin cranium belonged to someone who had a wide face, a long skull, and a large mouth and nose. The individual had a large brain, similar to modern humans and Neanderthals.

References

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