An ancient species of great ape was likely driven to extinction hundreds of thousands of years ago when climate change put their favourite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists reported in study published in ‘Nature’.
The species, Gigantopithecus blacki, which once lived in southern parts of the People’s Republic of China, represents the largest great ape known to scientists-standing 3 meters tall and weighing up to 295 kilograms.
The study suggests that the ape’s size became a vulnerability as its inability to climb trees in search of food during dry seasons contributed to their decline.
The giant apes survived for around 2 million years, primarily consuming fruits and flowers, until a changing environment led to decreased fruit production around 600,000 years ago.
The species likely went extinct between 215,000 and 295,000 years ago.
Source: Oman News Agency