"A missing piece of the puzzle has always focused on pinpointing when
Gigantopithecus existed," said Rink, associate professor of geography and earth sciences at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
"This is a primate that coexisted with humans at a time when humans were undergoing a major evolutionary change. Guangxi province in southern China, where the
Gigantopithecus fossils were found, is the same region where some believe the modern human race originated," said Rink in the release.
Gigantopithecus blackii was discovered in 1935 by Dutch paleontologist G.H. von Koenigswald, who found the first evidence — a yellowish molar — among a pile of "dragon bones" for sale in a Hong Kong pharmacy.
For the past 80 years, scientists have been trying to piece together details about the giant ape from little more than a handful of teeth and a set of jawbones.
"The size of these specimens — the crown of the molar, for instance, measures about an inch across — helped us understand the extraordinary size of the primate," said Rink in the release.
Further study revealed that
Gigantopithecus was a strict herbivore that feasted primarily on bamboo.
No one is sure why
Gigantopithecus died out, and until now, no one was sure when.
