How climate change drove the world's biggest ape to extinction
A giant ape dubbed the "real King Kong" was driven to extinction by climate change putting their favorite fruits out of reach.
HONG KONG — It did not fall off the Empire State Building.
Instead, a giant ape sometimes dubbed the “real King Kong” was driven to extinction by climate change that put its favorite fruits out of reach during the dry season, according to new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
An artist's impression of a group of the giant ape Gigantopithecus blacki within a forest scene in southern China.Southern Cross University / AFP - Getty ImagesStanding 10 feet tall and weighing up to 650 pounds, Gigantopithecus blacki roamed the forested plains of southern China's Guangxi region hundreds of thousands of years ago, chowing down on fruits and flowers.
But the apes' strict diet may have led to the species' demise, researchers found.
The herbivore ape made a “fatal mistake of being reluctant in changing its food preference to find new, more nutritious food,” Yingqi Zhang, the study’s lead researcher, told NBC News on Thursday.
Rating: 5