Skeletal estimates of Gigantopithecus based on a Gorilla analogy

Johnson, A.E.

doi:10.1016/0047-2484(79)90111-8

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Gigantopithecus is the only extinct primate genus known from the Pleistocene in Southeast Asia, known only from teeth and mandibular fragments. Based on comparisons of these with those of Gorilla, its hypothesised long bones would be 20-25% longer and more robust than the extant ape's (Johnson, 1979). It shows a general increase in size throughout the Pleistocene (Ciochon et al, 1996).…”

Section: Pongo and Gigantopithecusmentioning

confidence: 96%

Characteristics of Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia

Louys

Curnoe

Tong

2007

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

137

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Pongo and Gigantopithecusmentioning

confidence: 96%

Characteristics of Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia

Louys

Curnoe

Tong

2007

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

137

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Others have proposed an estimated body mass of 225–300 kg (Ciochon et al, ; Dean & Schrenk, ; Fleagle, ; Simons, ; Simons & Ettel, ) and a standing height of 9–12 ft (2.7–3.7 m) (Ciochon et al, ; Pei, ; Simons, ). Johnson () argued that the limb bones of G. blacki would have been 20–25% larger than those of extant gorillas. Based on M 1 area to body mass correlations (Conroy, ; Gingerich, Smith, & Rosenberg, ), we are able to calculate an estimated body mass of 204 kg (using the Gingerich formula) and 280 kg (using the Conroy formula for apes).…”

Section: Paleobiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Gigantopithecus blacki: a giant ape from the Pleistocene of Asia revisited

Zhang

Harrison

2017

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest hominoid that ever lived. The consensus view is that it is a specialized pongine and late-surviving member of the Sivapithecus-Indopithecus lineage. It is known primarily from Early and Middle Pleistocene cave sites in southern China, dating from 2.0 Ma to almost 300 ka. The cause of its extinction in the late Middle Pleistocene is unknown, but ecological change or the arrival of Homo erectus may have been contributing factors. Gigantopithecus is highly specialized in its dentognathic anatomy, with a unique combination of features that distinguish it from all other hominoids. Based on the size of its dentition and mandible, a reasonable estimate of its body mass would be 200-300 kg. There was a progressive increase in dental size from the Early Pleistocene to the Middle Pleistocene, and possibly a shift towards greater complexity of the cheek teeth. Gigantopithecus exhibits a relatively high degree of sexual dimorphism, implying a high level of male-male competition, but the relatively small canines in both sexes suggest that these teeth were not important in agonistic behaviors. The species inhabited a subtropical monsoon forest with a closed canopy and dense understory. Foraging was focused on the forest floor and its diet included a broad range of C 3 plants, including fruits, leaves and stems, and possibly tubers. The cheek teeth and jaws were adapted for processing a wide variety of bulky, fibrous, and abrasive food items, but the small incisors indicate that incisal preparation was not an important part of its feeding repertoire.

show abstract

“…1). G. blacki is the largest primate ever to have lived, characterized by massive mandibles and large molars with very thick enamel (Johnson, 1979;Dean and Schrenk, 2003;Miller et al, 2008;Olejniczak et al, 2008). This giant ape is thought to have been adapted to living in a tropical or subtropical forest environment and consuming a variety of plants (Ciochon et al, 1990;Daegling and Grine, 1994;Kupczik and Dean, 2008;Zhao et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ESR, U-series and paleomagnetic dating ofGigantopithecusfauna from Chuifeng Cave, Guangxi, southern China

Shao

Wang²,

Deng

et al. 2014

Quat. res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Several Gigantopithecus faunas associated with taxonomically undetermined hominoid fossils and/or stone artifacts are known from southern China. These faunas are particularly important for the study of the evolution of humans and other mammals in Asia. However, the geochronology of the Gigantopithecus faunas remains uncertain. In order to solve this problem, a program of geochronological studies of Gigantopithecus faunas in Guangxi Province was recently initiated. Chuifeng Cave is the first studied site, which yielded 92 Gigantopithecus blacki teeth associated with numerous other mammalian fossils. We carried out combined ESR/U-series dating of fossil teeth and sediment paleomagnetic studies. Our ESR results suggest that the lower layers at this cave can be dated to 1.92 ± 0.14 Ma and the upper layers can be dated to older than 1.38 ± 0.17 Ma. Correlation of the recognized magnetozones to the geomagnetic polarity timescale was achieved by combining magnetostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and ESR data. The combined chronologies establish an Olduvai subchron (1.945–1.778 Ma) for the lowermost Chuifeng Cave sediments. We also analyzed the enamel δ13C values of the Gigantopithecus faunas. Our results show that southern China was dominated by C3 plants during the early Pleistocene and that the Gigantopithecus faunas lived in a woodland-forest ecosystem.

show abstract

Skeletal estimates of Gigantopithecus based on a Gorilla analogy

Cited by 11 publications

References 1 publication

Characteristics of Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia

Characteristics of Pleistocene megafauna extinctions in Southeast Asia

Gigantopithecus blacki: a giant ape from the Pleistocene of Asia revisited

ESR, U-series and paleomagnetic dating ofGigantopithecusfauna from Chuifeng Cave, Guangxi, southern China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About