Gigantopithecus

Gigantopithecus
/juy gan'toh pi thee"keuhs, -pith"i keuhs, ji-/, n.
a genus of extinct ape of southern Asia existing during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs, known only from very large fossil jaws and teeth and believed to be perhaps the biggest hominoid that ever lived.
[1940-45; < NL < Gk gigant- (s. of gígas) GIANT + -o- -O- + píthekos ape]

* * *

▪ ape genus
      genus of large fossil ape, of which two species are known: Gigantopithecus bilaspurensis, which lived 6 to 9 million years ago in India, and Gigantopithecus blacki, which lived in China until at least 1 million years ago. These apes are known from teeth, lower jaw bones, and possibly a piece of distal humerus. They were large in size, perhaps larger than gorillas. They lived in open country and had powerful grinding and chewing teeth.

      The first specimens were found by the German-Dutch paleontologist G.H.R. von Koenigswald in Chinese drugstores, where they were known as “dragon's teeth.” The teeth, though large, have a few similarities to human teeth, and this led some paleomorphologists to speculate that humans might have had “giant” ancestors. Later discoveries of complete jaw bones demonstrated that they were from extinct apes.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gigantopithecus — Temporal range: Pleistocene Gigantopithecus blacki jaw Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Gigantopithecus — Unterkiefer von Gigantopithecus Zeitraum Miozän bis Pleistozän 8 bis 0,1 Mio. Jahre Fundorte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gigantopithecus —   [zu griechisch píthēkos »Affe«] der, , systematische Bezeichnung für eine Gruppe ausgestorbener höherer Primaten aus dem frühen und mittleren Pleistozän Südchinas (Gigantopithecus blacki) und eines Vorläufers desselben aus dem Pliozän Indiens… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Gigantopithecus — blacki Gigantopithecus bilaspurensis El gigantophithecus fue un género de primates gigantes que vivió durante el Pleistoceno, hace unos trece millones de años y se extinguió hace medio millon de años. Se cree que su hábitat era lo que hoy es el… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Gigantopithecus —   Gigantopthecus Rango temporal: Pleistoceno Inferior Medio …   Wikipedia Español

  • Gigantopithecus — Gigantopithèque Gigantopithèque …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gigantopithecus Blacki — Gigantopithèque …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gigantopithecus Bilaspurensis — Gigantopithèque …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gigantopithecus bilaspurensis — Gigantopithèque …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gigantopithecus bilaspurensis —   Gigantopithecus bilaspurensis Rango temporal: Mioceno (6 9 MYA) …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”