she was three meters and weighed 500 kilos. It could have been a direct competitor evolutionary man
The Gigantopithecus podíamedir up to three meters and weigh 500 kilos. If still alive today would hold the title of being the biggest ape that has walked on Earth. However, his imposing physique was not enough to keep him alive. He disappeared hundred thousand years ago for reasons that have been discussed for scientists. A team from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution Research in Tuebingen and Frankfurt believe they have found the explanation: apparently, the “big monkey” was not able to adapt to environmental changes
The Gigantopithecus was. discovered in 1935 when a Dutch paleontologist found a molar rare. The currently available remains limited to four lower jaws and some teeth, representing little information. “But now, we have managed to shed some light on the dark history of this primate” explained researcher Hervé Bocherens.
There are many uncertainties about this ancestor extinct orangutan. Several theories are put forward regarding your diet. Some believe it was exclusively vegetarian, others eat meat and some that are limited to bamboo.
After further studied on the enamel of the teeth of giant he concluded that the animal lived alone in the woods, where he found his food, although it was probably too heavy to climb trees. This was the case in China and Thailand, where the open savannas have been available. The research also concluded that the ape was a vegetarian, but not only ate bamboo.
For researchers, the size and the fact that it was limited to a particular type of habitat led to extinction. During the Pleistocene, 2.58 million years to 9,600 years before our era, many forested areas became pastures, “with enough food for the giant.”
Another alternative theory published last year He considered the voracious appetite for bamboo could place the ape disadvantaged in the evolutionary race against human competitor, most skilled and resourceful.
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