Giagantopithecus, the Biggest Ape in History

The Gorilla is seen by many as the largest ape to ever walked on this planet. With a weight that can range from 68 to 181 kilos for a size varying between 1.2 to 1.8 meters, those beasts are with no doubt remarkable. But before you ask: “Wait a minute, where is the history part? This blog is not National Geographic!” Well, I’m getting here, don't worry. So now that everyone is on the same page, let me tell you that the Gorilla is quite small in comparison to the biggest ape that ever lived on earth, the Giagantopithecus.  Giagantopithecus lived in the Pleistocene era, during the late Cenozoic.

This creature measured up to 3 meters tall and weighed between 270 and 500 kilos. It dwelled in the region of Southern China, more specifically the forest, where he could find a large amount of food he needed to sustain himself. Giagantopithecus' large body provided him with enormous strength; it was so great that no predators (leopards, tigers or even black bears) dared challenge him.

Unfortunately for the great ape, his large body size is also the cause of his downfall. Indeed around 100 000 years ago, the last ice age of the Pleistocene would hit the planet. This glaciation would reach as far as the territories habited by the Giagantopithecus, forcing them out of their forests into the plains in the south. Here, they died out of starvation due to a lack of food sources.  Although the genus of the Giagantopithecus is officially extinct, his closest modern-day descendants are the Orangutan. As for the history part of this post. It is a reminder that earth history doesn't only turn around us humans.