via ABC, 06 February 2024: Dr. Kira Westaway has dedicated ten years to uncovering the extinction mystery of Gigantopithecus Blacki, a real-life King Kong. Standing 3 meters tall and weighing up to 300 kilograms, these giant apes roamed the Earth for nearly two million years before vanishing, leaving only jawbones and teeth. Focused on how, why, and when Giganto disappeared, her team’s recent breakthrough sheds light on one aspect of this enigmatic species’ extinction, bringing us closer to understanding the history of these prehistoric giants.
For nearly two million years a species of giant ape called Gigantopithecus Blacki (Giganto) roamed the Earth.
They were thought to have stood at 3 metres tall and weighed up to 300 kilograms.
Then, suddenly, Giganto disappeared from the fossil record, leaving nothing behind but a couple of bits of jawbone and thousands of teeth, hidden in caves mostly in southern China.
Dr Kira Westaway has been on a ten-year mission to solve the mystery of how, why and when this real-life King Kong became extinct, and why nothing remains of the beasts but teeth.
Her team has just solved one of those mysteries.
