There has never been a primate as big as the Gigantopithecus blacki. They measured about 3 meters and could weigh more than 226 kilos. They roamed the thick forests of ancient China during the last Ice Age. What is the reason for the disappearance of the giant ape?
A study suggests the primate's unique lifestyle made it vulnerable. The rapid change of forest habitat precipitated its extinction. It is explained by Kira Westaway, from Macquarie University in Sydney (Australia). One of the biggest unknowns was the moment of the disappearance of the giant primate.
Changing habitats
Studies of fossil pollen from the sites of Gigantopithecus They gave the clue. About 700,000 years ago, dense forests gave way to more open habitats with larger expanses of grasslands. The disappearance of the giant ape began to take shape around those days. In their fossil teeth there are geochemical traces that prove it. Before 700,000 years ago, they lived in forests with high canopies where they ate leaves, fruits and flowers. He then changed his diet to subsist on fibrous plants that were more readily available.
Southeast Asia was experiencing radical environmental changes. A tectonic plate in the area sank and modified the local climate and habitats. About 215,000 years ago, the last Gigantopithecus perished. These primates could not keep up with the changes in habitat. However, knowing the end of this ape's story does not close the case of the giant primate. For reasons still unknown the last Gigantopithecus They were the greatest ever.
Other fossils
Furthermore, Westaway points out, fossils of Gigantopithecus in Thailand, Vietnam and possibly Java. Did these huge primates follow the same path to extinction or did history vary depending on location? «This work achieves a new level of detail. “It helps our understanding of extinction dynamics in Southeast Asia during that time,” says Westaway. opening new questions while explaining the disappearance of the largest ape on Earth.