Before modern humans developed civilization, great apes once dominated the dense forests of Asia. Measuring as much as 3 meters tall and weighing between 200 and 540 kilograms, it was the most important primate to have ever lived on Earth.
His name was Gigantopithecus blackand its extinction some 300,000 years ago remained a mystery that was only solved almost a century later. All that continues to be of this creature are its teeth and jawbones, but from these fragments scientists have managed to reconstruct its life history in extraordinary detail.
First discovered in a conventional medicine shop
History G. blacki it didn’t start with a field excavation, but in a pharmacy in Hong Kong. In 1935, Dutch paleontologist Ralph von Koenigswald discovered that unusually large teeth were being sold as “dragon teeth” to be used in traditional medicine. The teeth were five times larger than those of recent humans.
He traced the origins of the teeth to caves in southern China using records from local supply and marketing cooperatives. Subsequent excavations by Chinese paleontologists uncovered hundreds of additional fossils in areas near the border with Vietnam.
The fossil record still exists today G. blacki it consists of only about 2,000 teeth and the 4 lower jaw bones. Other bones were probably bitten off by porcupines that dragged the stays G. blacki into the caves, and several other of the fossils still show bite marks.
Based on these teeth, scientists estimated that the monkey was 3 to 4 meters tall and weighed 200 to 500 kilograms. Remains found on its teeth showed that it was primarily a herbivore, even though it occasionally ate insects.
Due to its huge size, G. blacki It is believed that he couldn’t climb trees. Instead, it probably used its height and strength to interrupt tree branches to succeed in food.
