Description Gigantopithecus

restoration of g. blacki.

gigantopithecus s method of locomotion uncertain, no pelvic or leg bones have been found. dominant view walked on fours modern gorillas , chimpanzees; however, minority opinion favors bipedal locomotion. notably championed late grover krantz, assumption based on few jawbone remains found, of u-shaped , widen towards rear. allows room windpipe within jaw, allowing skull sit squarely on erect spine in modern humans, rather in front of it, in other great apes.

the majority view weight of such large, heavy animal put enormous stress on creature s legs, ankles, , feet if walked bipedally; while if walked on 4 limbs, gorillas, weight better distributed on each limb.

a comparison graph of 1.8-meter-tall human male (almost 5 11 ) in comparison g. blacki (left) , g. giganteus (right): graph based on orangutan proportions while standing upright.

based on fossil evidence, adult male gigantopithecus blacki believed have stood 3 m (9.8 ft) tall , weighed as 540–600 kg (1,190–1,320 lb), making species 3 4 times heavy modern gorillas , 7 8 times heavy orangutan, closest living relative. large males may have had armspan of on 3.6 m (11.8 ft). species highly sexually dimorphic, adult females half weight of males. because of wide interspecies differences in relationship between tooth , body size, argue more adult male gigantopithecus blacki smaller, @ 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft) in height , 180–300 kg (400–660 lb) in weight.

its appearance not known, because of fragmentary nature of fossil remains. possibly resembled modern gorillas, because of supposedly similar lifestyle. scientists, however, think looked more closest modern relative, orangutan. based on upper estimates, gigantopithecus possibly had few or no enemies when grown. however, younger, weak, or injured individuals may have been vulnerable predation big cats, large constrictor snakes, crocodiles, machairodonts, hyenas, , homo erectus. based on lower estimates, however, grown individuals may have been vulnerable predation animals mentioned above other large snakes.