Humans in Europe and western Asia evolved into Homo neanderthalensis (‘Man from the Neander Valley), popularly referred to simply as ‘Neanderthals’. Neanderthals, bulkier and more muscular than us Sapiens, were well adapted to cold climates. 

Neanderthals became extinct about 30 000 years ago, though most modern humans still carry some Neanderthal DNA.

Image from Neanderthal Museum https://www.neanderthal.de/en/

In the picture above, a modern human child gets nose to nose with a reconstruction of a Neanderthal man.

On the small island of Flores, Indonesia, archaic humans underwent a process of dwarfing. Humans first reached Flores when the sea level was exceptionally low, and the island was easily accessible from the mainland. When the seas rose again, some people were trapped on the island, which was poor in resources. Big people, who need a lot of food, died first. Smaller fellows survived much better. Over the generations, the people of Flores became dwarves. This unique species, known by scientists as Homo floresiensis, reached a maximum height of only one metre and weighed no more than twenty-five kilograms. They were nevertheless able to produce stone tools, and even managed occasionally to hunt down some of the island’s elephants – though, to be fair, the elephants were a dwarf species as well.

Below is a picture of a reconstruction of Homo floresiensis, also known as "Hobbit People." 

Image from ScienceVibe.com