5 Mysterious Human Species That Once Lived Among Us

In 1933, amidst the construction of Dongjiang Bridge in Northern China, a local laborer stumbled upon an extraordinary find—a nearly perfectly preserved human skull hidden within the riverbank’s layers of sediment.

During that period, the city of Harbin, the skull's discovery site, was under Japanese occupation as part of the larger Manchukuo state. The laborer was probably aware of the skull’s potential significance, owing to the excitement generated just a few years earlier by the discovery of another archaic human skull, known popularly as the Peking Man.

Taking extreme care, the laborer concealed his remarkable find in an abandoned well, where it would lie undisturbed for almost nine decades. Even after the Soviets invaded Manchuria, the man kept his secret well-guarded, worried that his previous work under Japanese rule could be scrutinized.

It wasn't until his final moments that the laborer confided in his grandchildren about the ancient relic, still stashed in its secret hiding place. Intrigued, a family member retrieved the skull from the well in 2018. Later that year, a Chinese paleoanthropologist convinced the family to donate the artifact to Hebei GEO University for scientific research.

Subsequent analysis revealed that the skull was at least 146,000 years old, dating back to the Middle Pleistocene period. Boasting a low, elongated shape, distinct brow ridges, wide eye sockets, and a large mouth, the skull exhibited an unusual blend of primitive and modern features—its facial structure strikingly resembling that of Homo sapiens.

Experts speculate that the skull belonged to a physically robust male, roughly 50 years old at the time of his death. The broad nose suggests he was adapted to a high-energy lifestyle, capable of drawing in large volumes of air. Measuring an impressive 23 cm in length and over 15 cm in width, the skull's sheer size implies a capacity to withstand the harsh, frigid conditions of the region.

More intriguingly, the skull has illuminated a new branch on the human family tree. It hints at a previously unknown ancestral group—closer to modern humans than even Neanderthals. Designated as Homo Longi, or "Dragon Man" in China, the discovery has ignited scientific debate.