What is Gigantopithecus?
Gigantopithecus (meaning “gigantic ape”) was a huge ape, the largest primate that ever lived, with a height of 10 ft (3 m) and weighing up to 1,200 lbs (640 kg). Its fossils have been dated to between one million and about 300,000 years ago. Finds of Gigantopithecus, mostly fossilized teeth or jawbones, have been located in present-day China, Vietnam, and India, suggesting that its range was Southeast Asia. Complete skeletons of Gigantopithecus have not been found, but much has been inferred about its size and lifestyle by the teeth and mandibles alone. Like its closest living relative, the orangutan, Gigantopithecus is thought to have been arboreal and a vegetarian. Like the orangutan, Gigantopithecus was a member of family Pongidae, of which the former is the only surviving member. If Gigantopithecus had the same fur color as the orangutan, it would have been colored reddish-brown, but this is speculation. Most reconstructions of the animal favor reddish-brown fur, however. The remai
