Since then, more fossil teeth of that mammal have appeared in various enclaves of Southeast Asia , which has allowed us to get an idea of its possible appearance and the diet it followed.
The Gigantopithecu s, as it was baptized, were probably related to current orangutans and their probable ancestors, the extinct Sivapithecus , who also inhabited Asia until about 9 million years ago. However, they were much larger. From a comparative study of their remains with those of other modern apes, a team of researchers from the University of Iowa, in the US, managed to determine a few years ago that they could have weighed between 400 and 500 kilos and have exceeded the three meters tall, in an upright position. Even so, they probably moved on all fours, leaning on their forelimbs, as gorillas do today.
Analysis of their robust dentition, mostly flattened in appearance and with thick enamel, suggests that these animals must have fed on very fibrous plants. A study of the same carried out in 1990 by means of scanning electron microscopy, and coordinated by the paleoanthropologist Russell Ciochon, of the aforementioned University of Iowa, revealed that, in addition, they fed on seeds, fruits and bamboo. In fact, the dependence on this plant could play a determining role in the extinction of the Gigantopithecu s, which took place between 400,000 and 300,000 years ago.
Some bamboo species regularly experience significant declines, affecting pandas’ health even today. Some paleontologists suspect that a similar phenomenon may have led to the end of Gigantopithecus . Other experts point out that around 800,000 years ago, its habitat, in what is now China, India and Vietnam, could have been colonized by Homo erectus . Of course, it is unknown to what extent this ancient member of our lineage, also extinct, intervened in their disappearance.
