At the time of its discovery, H. floresiensis was the subject of much debate centering on whether it is a new human species, a pathological Homo sapiens, or a case of insular dwarfism of a Homo erectus  population. However, studies using cladistic and morphological analysis suggest that Homo floresiensis is a separate species from Homo erectus and may share a common ancestor with Homo habilis, challenging the notion that Homo erectus was the only hominin to leave Africa before Homo sapiens did so about 180,000yrs ago.