Climate change was the cause of the extinction of the largest ape that has ever inhabited the planet, scientists revealed

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The gigantic Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest species of ape known to scientists, became extinct between 215,000 and 295,000 years ago, probably due to climate change, according to a new study. These ancient primates, which lived in the Guangxi region of southern China, reached heights of up to 3 meters and a maximum weight of approximately 295 kilograms. The research, published in the journal Nature, highlighted that the decrease in their preferred foods, especially fruits, during dry seasons may have contributed to their disappearance.

A team of scientists from Southern Cross University in Australia and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in China analyzed samples of pollen and sediment found in the Guangxi caves, as well as fossil teeth of Gigantopithecus blacki. This analysis revealed that the area’s rainforests began producing fewer fruits about 600,000 years ago, probably due to an increase in the number of dry seasons.

Smaller ape variants were able to adapt by climbing trees in search of new food, but Gigantopithecus had to resort to a diet of tree bark, reeds, and other non-nutritious foods, which may have contributed to their extinction, the study noted.

The research also suggests that the enormous size of these apes, which possibly bore some resemblance to modern orangutans, was an evolutionary disadvantage in the face of dramatic changes in their habitat. These great apes survived for about 2 million years before facing climatic challenges that decreased the availability of their preferred food. Climate change that reduced the availability of fruits could have played a crucial role in the extinction of this species.

The lead author of the study, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, said in statements reported by ABC News that it was “a massive animal – really very large,” explaining that when food became scarce, its large size prevented them from exploring new sources. food climbing trees. To date, most of our knowledge about these extinct apes comes from the study of fossil teeth and four large lower jaws found in China, without a complete skeleton having been found.

The extinction of Gigantopithecus blacki represents not only the loss of a link in ape evolution, but also an example of how past climate changes have significantly impacted the planet’s biodiversity. During a period spanning approximately 2 to 22 million years ago, several species of great apes roamed Africa, Europe, and Asia, according to fossil records.

Today, only gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and humans are the surviving species of this family. Rick Potts, of the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, said that while the first humans emerged in Africa, it is still unknown on which continent the great ape family first appeared.