ArabiaWeather - Despite King Kong's famous abilities to fight Godzilla, climb the Empire State Building, and confront helicopters in the sky, his counterpart actually faces greater challenges as a result of climate change.
A recent study showed that Gigantopithecus blackii, the largest organism to have ever lived on Earth, measuring 10 feet long and weighing more than half a ton, became extinct about 215,000 years ago due to climate change. This huge creature lives in southern China and looks more like a huge orangutan than other animals.
Although King Kong, the fictional character, was inspired by a huge gorilla, Blackie was a cave dweller who bears a greater resemblance to an orangutan. These animals were known to exist, but knowing when they became extinct and how remained a mystery for a long time.
A study was conducted in 22 caves in China, where scientists dated soil, teeth and sediments to understand how Gigantopithecus blackii evolved over thousands of years. According to a report published by the British newspaper "The Telegraph", scientists have estimated that these creatures lived about two million years ago, and indicated that the period of extinction occurred at a time when tree cover decreased, and grassy areas became more widespread.
However, evidence from ancient pollen preserved in cave mud shows that changes in climate, seasonality and other factors were in fact the main problem facing Gigantopithecus blackie. The techniques available to date when giant apes lived have dried up, which was key to understanding why they became extinct.
Scientists believe that the birth of wet and dry seasons, and the great divergence between them about 700,000 years ago, made it difficult for this giant species to find food. While other creatures have thrived and adapted to the extreme change and variability of the seasons, the largest apes have failed to adapt to these shifts.
Gigantopithecus blackie's teeth changed in an attempt to eat a variety of food, but these animals were less mobile, which resulted in them ending up living in isolated parts of forests. It is believed that when their preferred food sources became less available, they were unable to survive with sufficient alternatives.
The team also revealed another species that had been in decline for thousands of years and suffered "chronic pressure and population decline" before finally disappearing in the late Middle Pleistocene.
In their study published in the journal Nature, the scientists wrote: “Ultimately, their struggle to adapt led to the extinction of the largest primates to ever inhabit the Earth.”
Source: alarabiya
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