Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest ever primate and one of the largest species of the southeast Asian megafauna, persisted in China from about 2 million years until the Middle Pleistocene when it became extinct. New research shows that from 2.3 million years ago the environment was a mosaic of forests and grasses, providing ideal conditions for thriving Gigantopithecus blacki populations. However, just before and during the extinction window between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago there was enhanced environmental variability from increased seasonality, which caused changes in plant communities and an increase in open forest environments. Although its close relative, the Chinese orangutan (Pongo weidenreichi), managed to adapt its dietary preferences and behavior to this variability, Gigantopithecus blacki showed signs of chronic stress and dwindling populations; ultimately, its struggle to adapt led to the extinction of the greatest primate to ever inhabit the Earth.
Gigantopithecus blacki is an extinct, giant hominid that once inhabited dense forests of Southeast Asia.
As the name suggests, the giant primate was larger than gorillas, standing up to 3 m (10 feet) and weighing up to 540 kg (1,200 lb).
“Our current understanding of Gigantopithecus blacki derives from Early to Middle Pleistocene cave deposits in southern China between the Yangtze River and the South China Sea,” said Professor Yingqi Zhang from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and colleagues.
“This primate is known for its unusually large molars, atypical enamel thickness, estimated body height of about 3 m and mass of 200-300 kg, making it the largest primate ever to have existed on Earth.”
“Despite 85 years of searching, the Gigantopithecus blacki fossil record is restricted to four mandibles and almost 2,000 isolated teeth with no postcranial evidence.”
“Its initial discovery in an apothecary shop in…
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