Giant Primates: Unraveling the Mystery of Gigantopithecus blacki’s Extinction
Garcia/Joannes-Boyau (Southern Cross University)
Sydney, Australia: Gigantopithecus blacki, an ancient primate that stood tall at three meters and weighed a staggering 250 kilograms, remains one of the most intriguing enigmas in the field of paleontology. While this mighty creature survived for nearly two million years in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, its existence is only documented through a handful of teeth and four jawbones. The absence of any other skeletal remains has added to the mystery surrounding its disappearance.
In a groundbreaking study published today in Nature, a collaborative team of Chinese, Australian, and US scientists embarked on a five-year expedition to unveil the secrets of this colossal primate. Through extensive exploration and excavation in hundreds of caves, they focused their efforts on 22 caves in Guangxi, narrowing down their findings to 11 caves with evidence of G. blacki and 11 caves without.
To establish the timeline of extinction, the team utilized various dating techniques, including luminescence dating of feldspars, electron spin resonance dating of quartz, uranium series dating of stalagmites, and fossils. This meticulous approach resulted in an astonishing 157 radiometric ages.
By analyzing environmental and behavioral evidence such as ancient pollen grains, other animal bones, and sediment micro-details, the team was able to reconstruct the rise and fall of G. blacki in relation to its closest primate relative, the orangutans. Furthermore, they examined G. blacki teeth for isotopic signatures, trace elements, and wear patterns, which provided vital insights into its diet, migration patterns, habitat preferences, food source diversity, and stress levels.
Surprisingly, the study revealed that G. blacki went extinct much more recently than originally believed, between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago. Prior to its extinction, G. blacki thrived in a lush and diverse forest. However, between 600,000 and 300,000 years ago, the environment became more volatile, with stronger seasons leading to changes in forest structure. By 200,000 years ago, the forests began to deteriorate.
Comparison of trace elements in G. blacki and orangutan teeth indicated that G. blacki faced dwindling food sources and chronic stress, while orangutans exhibited adaptability and balance in their diet. G. blacki’s reliance on less nutritious backup food, such as twigs and bark, contributed to its decline, along with its limited mobility compared to the agile orangutans.
The study serves as a cautionary tale about extinction and the varying abilities of different species to adapt to change. G. blacki’s specific food and habitat preferences made it vulnerable to environmental shifts, highlighting the importance of resilience in the face of looming extinction events.
Understanding past extinctions, such as that of G. blacki, offers valuable insights into primate resilience and may shed light on the fate of other large animals, both in the past and in the future.
(Authors: Kira Westaway, Associate Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University; Marian Bailey, PhD Candidate, Geoarchaeology, Southern Cross University; Renaud Joannes-Boyau, Associate Professor, Southern Cross University; Simon Haberle, Professor, Australian National University, and Yingqi Zhang, Research professor in palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
(Disclosure Statement: Kira Westaway receives funding from The Australian Research Council | Marian Bailey receives funding from the Australian Government RTP Stipend | Renaud Joannes-Boyau receives funding from the Australian Research Council | Simon Haberle receives funding from the Australian Research Council | Yingqi Zhang receives funding from Chinese Academy of Sciences and The Australian Research Council)
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Disclaimer: Only the headline and content of this report may have been reworked by Newsearay, staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. The Article was originally published on Source link
