Fossil detectives decode King Kong like ape’s demise after 295,000 years

Gigantopithecus blacki lived in China from around 2 million years ago until the late middle Pleistocene when it went extinct. It's known for its large teeth, thick enamel, estimated height of around 3 meters, and weight of 200–300 kilograms, making it the biggest primate ever on Earth. Its still confounds many because it was one of the few Asian great apes to become extinct in the last 2.6 million years, while others, such as the orangutan, survived.

The cause of extinction remains unclear In an exploration across 22 caves in southern China, a monumental regional study deconstructed the story of Gigantopithecus blacki' which was teetering on the edge of during a crucial period between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago. “It’s a major feat to present a defined cause for the extinction of a species, but establishing the exact time when a species disappears from the fossil record gives us a target timeframe for an environmental reconstruction and behaviour assessment,” said Professor Kira Westaway, co lead author of the study.

Even though people have been looking for its fossils for 85 years, scientists have been able to unearth only four jawbones and almost 2,000 teeth, and no other parts of its body. The first fossil was discovered in a shop in Hong Kong, marked as a 'Dragon tooth', which led to the search for more fossils, said the researchers in the study.

“The story of G. blacki is an enigma in palaeontology – how could such a mighty creature go extinct at a time when other primates were adapting and surviving? The unresolved cause of its disappearance has become the Holy Grail in this discipline,” said Professor Yingqi Zhang, paleontologist and co lead author.

The discoveries were made in caves in two main areas, Chongzuo and Bubing Basin, in the Guangxi ZAR province. These cave sites have important evidence about how Gigantopithecus blacki lived and why it eventually disappeared. Their study applied three analyses timing, past environments, and behavior and their findings suggest that, despite thriving in a mosaic of forests and grasses around 2.3 million years ago, struggling to adjust its food habits and behaviors, and susceptible to the shifts in climate, the mighty primate faced challenges that ultimately sealed its fate.

Its struggle to adapt to these changes resulted in the extinction of this enormous primate, concluded the study. “With the threat of a sixth mass extinction event looming over us, there is an urgent need to understand why species go extinct. Exploring the reasons for past unresolved extinctions gives us a good starting point to understand primate resilience and the fate of other large animals, in the past and future,” added Professor Westaway.

The was published in the journal . The largest ever primate and one of the largest of the southeast Asian megafauna, Gigantopithecus blacki, persisted in China from about 2.0 million years until the late middle Pleistocene when it became extinct. Its demise is enigmatic considering that it was one of the few Asian great apes to go extinct in the last 2.6 million years, whereas others, including orangutan, survived until the present.

The cause of the disappearance of G. blacki remains unresolved but could shed light on primate resilience and the fate of megafauna in this region. Here we applied three multidisciplinary analyses—timing, past environments and behaviour—to 22 caves in southern China. We used 157 radiometric ages from six dating techniques to establish a timeline for the demise of G.

blacki. We show that from 2.3 million years ago the environment was a mosaic of forests and grasses, providing ideal conditions for thriving G. blacki populations. However, just before and during the extinction window between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago there was enhanced environmental variability from increased seasonality, which caused changes in plant communities and an increase in open forest environments.

Although its close relative Pongo weidenreichi managed to adapt its dietary preferences and behaviour to this variability, G. blacki showed signs of chronic stress and dwindling populations. Ultimately its struggle to adapt led to the extinction of the greatest primate to ever inhabit the Earth..