An imagined image of a group of "Giganto" inside a forest in southern China (Southern Cross University)

A new study says that the extinction of the largest known primate, a giant ape from China, was caused by its struggle to adapt to environmental changes.

These findings fill a major gap in our understanding of why this species failed to survive despite the persistence of other similar primates.

According to the study published in the journal Nature, the creature called the giganto is a type of great ape that was found in China between two million and 330 thousand years ago, after which this species became extinct, as the study’s statement states.

These monkeys reach a height of 3 meters and weigh between 200 and 300 kg. This creature is believed to be the largest primate ever found on Earth.

Explaining the cause of the extinction of this ape called the giganto is a rare achievement in paleontology (Shutterstock)

The only extinct

Scientists believe that the giant ape Giganto is the only giant ape that became extinct in the most recent period that passed on Earth in the Pleistocene era. All other groups of great apes, including gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and human ancestors;

It still exists today.

After more than 85 years of research, archaeologists found only teeth and four jaw bones belonging to this extinct species.

In the new study, the researchers collected a wealth of evidence including fossils, quartz rocks, sediments and pollen from 22 sites and caves across Guangxi Province in southern China, and dated them using six different techniques.

Study co-author Keira Westaway, who is an associate professor of natural history at Macquarie University in Australia, told Al Jazeera Net via email: Reconstructing an extinction event like this is a rare achievement in paleontology and requires accurate dating. In the case of extinction, it is... "It's all about timing, and if you don't have proper timing you're just looking for evidence in the wrong places or you're just looking at very long time periods."

To determine the date of each site, the researchers used dating techniques, such as measuring the amount of uranium absorbed by the fossils over time, or analyzing the optical signal that quartz gave off in the soil when it was blasted with a laser.

These results provided scientists with dates that fell within the narrow window between 295 thousand and 215 thousand years ago.

“We wanted to be very precise so we could look at what the environment was like at that time,” Westaway adds. “Unfortunately the environmental records already available were not very detailed, so we also reconstructed the environment in which the giant apes lived using pollen and sediment analysis.” "Highly detailed, isotopic analyzes of giant ape teeth."

Researcher Keira Westaway warns of signs of a sixth extinction threatening current apes due to accelerating rates of deforestation and climate change (Shutterstock)

Vibrant forest

A hypothetical construction of ancient environmental conditions has resulted in a visualization dating back approximately 2.3 million years that describes the giant ape's habitat as a vibrant forest with a mosaic of trees and grasses, with the orangutan and giganto living and thriving together in this forested environment.

But the landscape changed radically before the extinction of giant apes between 600,000 and 300,000 years ago.

What was once a dense forest cover has become open plains dotted with ferns and grasses.

What was once a comfortable climate, with its preferred food and water available year-round, is now unstable, with water limited only to the rainy season.

The researcher participating in the study explained that this unstable environment put the "giganto" under tremendous pressure due to its large size and the difficulty of moving over long distances, while human ancestors succeeded in moving to other locations in search of food.

The researcher warns of signs of a sixth extinction that threatens the current habitats of apes as a result of accelerating rates of deforestation and the worsening effects of climate change.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites