REAL HOBBITS DISCOVERED IN NEW ZEALAND

REAL HOBBITS DISCOVERED IN NEW ZEALAND

CHRISTCHURCH, N.Z. (Wireless Flash) – It’s fitting that the new Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in New Zealand, because scientists there claim the country is home to real-life hobbits. However, these hobbit creatures are actually called “amphipods” and live underwater in tunnels, not under the ground in hobbit holes. Marine biologists Jim Lowry and Graham Fenwick discovered the shrimp-like crustaceans 20 years ago and named them after the three types of hobbits described in The Lord of the Rings. The “Harfootus” type is named after the smaller, brown-skinned hobbits; the “Fallowhideus” type resembles a tall, fair-skinned hobbit; and the “Stoorus” type is named for a stout, large-footed hobbit species. Fenwick believes the creatures are a form of hobbit that evolved to live in the ocean and says they can’t be found outside of New Zealand.

Thu 12-27-01