What happend to the largest ape to ever exist?

Gigantopithecus was the largest ape that ever lived. It stood as high as 3 meters, weighed up to 500 kilograms and lived in the tropical forests of southern China for 6 to 9 million years. It probably didn't stray into the open like modern gorillas and was a fruit-eater. Due to the cooling of the climate forested areas turned into savanna landscapes. Somehow Gigantopithecus managed to survive the first few glacial periods but 100,000 years ago, at the beginning of the last of the Pleistocene ice ages, it went extinct. There was simply an insufficient food supply for the giant ape, which probably had massive needs. 


sources: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/160106-science-evolution-apes-giant
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=580610545&sxsrf=AM9HkKkyvyVNt3QthAe8yLHimHj9grDtHg:1699477129548&q=gigantopithecus&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC9vDUpbWCAxUPPhAIHSIRCrwQ0pQJegQIDRAB&biw=1920&bih=923&dpr=1#imgrc=C3No4HT4Kfc_nM&imgdii=kBHgUzEOkLzQ8M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qW256pUdYg

Komentarze

  1. It's fascinating how many ape species have existed. This one went extinct, others survived to this day and some evolved into us.

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