The demise of the giant ape Gigantopithecus blacki

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Zhang, Yingqi; Westaway, Kira E.; Haberle, Simon; Lubeek, Julien K.; Bailey, Marian; Ciochon, Russell; Morley, Mike W.; Roberts, Patrick; Zhao, Jian-xin; Duval, Mathieu; Dosseto, Anthony; Pan, Yue; Rule, Sue; Liao, Wei; Gully, Grant A.; Lucas, Mary; Mo, Jinyou; Yang, Liyun; Cai, Yanjun; Wang, Wei; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology, CAS; Macquarie University; Australian National University; Southern Cross University; University of Iowa; University of Iowa; Flinders University South Australia; Max Planck Society; Max Planck Society; University of Queensland; University of Queensland; Centro Nacional de Investigacion de La Evolucion Humana (CENIEH); Griffith University; University of Wollongong; Shandong University; Flinders University South Australia; Xi'an Jiaotong University; University of Johannesburg
• 刊物名称: Nature
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0028-3981
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06900-0
• 发表日期: 2024-01-18
• 关键词: molar enamel thickness; early pleistocene; u-series; extinction; guangxi; esr; quartz; fauna; cave; diet

摘要

The largest ever primate and one of the largest of the southeast Asian megafauna, Gigantopithecus blacki1, persisted in China from about 2.0 million years until the late middle Pleistocene when it became extinct(2-4). Its demise is enigmatic considering that it was one of the few Asian great apes to go extinct in the last 2.6 million years, whereas others, including orangutan, survived until the present(5). The cause of the disappearance of G. blacki remains unresolved but could shed light on primate resilience and the fate of megafauna in this region(6). Here we applied three multidisciplinary analyses-timing, past environments and behaviour-to 22 caves in southern China. We used 157 radiometric ages from six dating techniques to establish a timeline for the demise of G. blacki. We show that from 2.3 million years ago the environment was a mosaic of forests and grasses, providing ideal conditions for thriving G. blacki populations. However, just before and during the extinction window between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago there was enhanced environmental variability from increased seasonality, which caused changes in plant communities and an increase in open forest environments. Although its close relative Pongo weidenreichi managed to adapt its dietary preferences and behaviour to this variability, G. blacki showed signs of chronic stress and dwindling populations. Ultimately its struggle to adapt led to the extinction of the greatest primate to ever inhabit the Earth.