Climate Change and Extinction: How Big Apes Failed to Survive.

A long time ago, there was a huge type of ape called Gigantopithecus blacki that lived in southern China. These apes were really big, about 10 feet tall and weighed up to 650 pounds. Unfortunately, they couldn't find enough of their favorite fruits to eat anymore because the weather changed and it got drier.

The big size of these apes made it hard for them to find food when fruits became scarce. They couldn't climb trees like smaller apes to look for more food.

Scientists studied old pollen and dirt from caves, and also fossil teeth to learn about these ancient apes. They found out that these apes had to eat things like bark and reeds, which weren't very good for them, because there was less fruit.

These giant apes didn't disappear all at once but probably went extinct between 215,000 and 295,000 years ago. This might have been because they couldn't adapt to the changing environment and food sources.

Scientists learn about these big apes mostly from fossil teeth and jaw bones found in China. There used to be many kinds of great apes a long time ago, but now only a few kinds like gorillas and orangutans are left.