GIGANTOPITHECUS
My all time favorite animal to have ever existed, Gigantopithecus was a monster of an ape. At least one species of Gigantopithecus is known, although two others have been classified. Whether all these species are valid is debated. Nonetheless, the one confirmed species represents the largest ape ever to exist.
Original Discovery
Gigantopithecus blacki (gy-gan-toe-pith-eh-cuss black-eye) was first discovered in southeast Asia in 1935. A few teeth in a Chinese traditional medicine stand were the first fossils to be found. Over the years, many new fossils of Gigantopithecus have been discovered, such as more teeth and a few jaws. Unfortunately, no other parts of the skeleton are known at this time. This has made reconstructing the physical appearance of Gigantopithecus very difficult.
Physical Appearance
The exact physiology of Gigantopithecus is difficult to discern. Being a large ape, standing ten feet tall on its hind legs, it is possible that Gigantopithecus had an appearance similar to a gorilla, the largest ape alive today. However, genetic analysis has revealed that orangutans are the closest living relatives of Gigantopithecus. Because of that connection, most modern reconstructions of Gigantopithecus portray it with a gorillas skeleton and an orangutan's external features, including long, orange hair and sometimes large cheeks on male specimens.
Ecology
Gigantopithecus lived throughout southeastern Asia during the Pliocene epoch (5-1.8 mya). Gigantopithecus coexisted with many of the animals that can be found in southeastern Asia today or their direct relatives, as well as several that now only live elsewhere. This included tigers, pandas, bears, crocodiles, hyenas, and the largest animal in the ecosystem, the Asian elephant. Like elephants, Gigantopithecus would have spent most of its time eating. Isotopic analysis of its teeth have revealed that Gigantopithecus had a diet consisting primarily of bamboo, although it would have also eaten the many fruits that were available. Adult Gigantopithecus would have had no natural predators. However, young animals and injured individuals would have been vulnerable to the many predators of the region, including the human ancestor Homo erectus.
Extinction
When the ice ages began, the cooler climate altered the plant life of many ecosystems. One of the many ecosystems changed was the forested lands that Gigantopithecus called home. With its food source greatly decreased and new hunters on the rise, Gigantopithecus died out. However, some people believe that Gigantopithecus is alive today and is responsible for the sightings of the mysterious Bigfoot, Yeti, and other bipedal, primate cryptids.
This is unlikely given some differences between the creatures. First, the largest of these cryptids stood 8 feet tall on its hind legs. Gigantopithecus males were 8 feet tall on four legs, and a whopping 10 feet when standing straight up. While it is thought that female Gigantopithecus were smaller, it is unlikely that they could explain the difference in size. The other issue is one of habitat. Bigfoot is said to live in North America, an entire ocean away from Gigantopithecus. And while the Yeti is native to the Himalayas, the occasional yak is not enough to sustain a herbivorous mammal. The last and largest issue is the fact that there is a several million year gap between the last appearance of Gigantopithecus in the fossil record and the first sightings of creatures like Bigfoot. All these factors make a connection between Bigfoot, the Yeti, and Gigantopithecus unlikely.
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Image Credits
All images have been cropped to fit the space required
All images are used under Fair Use laws
Image credits are listed from top to bottom and from left to right
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King Louie
Original film shot by: Disney
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Gigantopithecus jaw cast
Original picture by: Wilson44691
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Gigantopithecus size
Original image by: Discovery
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Awesome Gigantopithecus chasing a tiger
Original image by: Julio Lacerda
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Yeti eating a yak
Original screenshot by: Liekeze
Taken in the game: ARK: Survival Evolved
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The Bigfoot picture
Original film shot by: Patterson-Gimlin