A study with 157 dates from 22 cave sites reveals how Gigantopithecus disappeared. For 1.5 million years they thrived in warm tropical forests, but around 1.1 million years ago climate became increasingly variable. By 200,000 years ago, forests had shrunk dramatically into open grassland - devastating for a massive ape needing an estimated 13,000-15,000 calories daily. Unable to find sufficient food, they went extinct. 🌳🌍
Climate change-driven forest loss caused Gigantopithecus extinction
Key facts
- A 2022 paper with 157 dates from 22 cave sites traced Gigantopithecus's decline
- For 1.5 million years they lived in warm tropical forested environments
- Around 1.1 million years ago, climatic variability increased
- 200,000 years ago forests shrank dramatically, creating open grassland
- A 2-3m tall ape may have needed 13,000-15,000 calories daily from fruits
- Unable to find sufficient food in the new environment, they went extinct
Sources
Giant 'kings of apes' once roamed southern China - The Hinduthehindu.com
blacki went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago, much more recently than previously assumed. Before this time, G. blacki flourished in ...
The extinction of the giant ape: A long-standing mystery solvedleakeyfoundation.org
Surprisingly, G. blacki went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago, much more recently than previously assumed. Before this time, G.
Gigantopithecus Went Extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 Years ...sci.news
The findings show Gigantopithecus blacki went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago, much earlier than previously assumed. Before this ...
Gigantopithecus - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Gigantopithecus is an extinct genus of ape that lived in central to southern China from two million to approximately 200,000–300,000 years ago during the ...
These extinct, nearly 10-foot-tall apes could not adapt to shifting ...popsci.com
The dates of the fossils combined with the pollen and teeth analysis revealed that G.blacki went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago, ...
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