Gigantopithecus Fact Sheet

Common Name: Gigantopithecus blacki

Scientific Name: Black's giant ape

Wild Status: Miocene to Pleistocene Epochs, 6 MYA-100000 years ago

Habitat: China, India, Vietnam

Country: China, India, Vietnam

Shelter: Unknown

Life Span: Unknown

Size: 10 feet tall, 1100 pounds

Details

Very few fossils of Gigantopithecus have been recovered. It is known primarily from teeth and jawbones. It is believed the lack of remains may be due to fact that ancient Chinese collected what they thought were “dragon bones” to be used in traditional medicine. Indeed, the first specimens of Gigantopithecus were found in an apothecary shop. From looking at the jaws and teeth, scientists have concluded that Gigantopithecus had a diet consisting of tough, fibrous material that required extensive mastication. Cavities found on the teeth closely resemble those found in giant pandas, indicating that bamboo was a major food source, although fruits and seeds would also have been consumed.

Cool Facts

• Gigantopithecus is the largest known primate, even though it is known only from teeth and jaws. This huge ape would have stood nearly 10 feet tall and tipped the scales at over half a ton. Big males would have had an armspan of over 11 feet. Due to its immense weight, it is believed that Gigantopithecus would have walked on its knuckles like a gorilla. Its closest living relative is the orangutan. • Some people believe that Gigantopithecus did not go extinct, but crossed into North America via the Bering Land Bridge and is the origin of the sasquatch legend. • Anthropologist Grover Krantz looked for evidence of bipedality, siting that the width and shape of the mandibles would allow the windpipe to be supported within the jaws and the skull to sit directly atop an erect spine in a bipedal position. Most scientists, however, favor knuckle-walking since the animal was so heavy.

Taxonomic Breakdown

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Gigantopithecus Species: G. blacki Conservation & Helping

The Gigantopithecus is currently extinct, and lived from 6 million years ago to 100,000 years ago.

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