Nature is simply amazing, and animals are great proof of that. Curious species, very intelligent or blue animals… the variety is infinite and impressive. But this time We want to talk to you about an ape. Not just anyone. A huge, gigantic, which even broke records in the cinema. This is King Kong in real life. We will start by clarifying first of all the information related to the size. Saying King Kong almost instantly brings to mind a great ape of titanic proportions climbing the Empire State building. It is not entirely true. But science shows that King Kong did exist, and that he was indeed the largest ape ever known.
King Kong in real life
The idea that King Kong existed immediately makes us imagine the movies of this great ape in the cinema. A giant gorilla, who despite his bestiality somehow managed to get along with people. Well, leaving the fantasy of the cinema, we will tell you copper one of the most extraordinary extinct animals of which there is reference, the King Kong in real life.
We are talking specifically about Gigantopithecus, a type of primate that inhabited our planet from the Lower to the Upper Pleistocene. Your approximate height? About three meters. Her weight was nothing less than a powerful 600 kilos. Scientists speak of Gigantopithecus as the “bow” largest on our planet. It must be said that we do not have any complete skeleton, only some skull, jaw and a molar.
It was a German paleontologist named Ralph von Koenigswald who found it in Hong Kong in 1935. The process of discovering that King Kong existed was quite arduous. Von Koenigswald found in a pharmacy in this region of China, a tooth. But not just any tooth. It was a tooth that was much larger than that of any of the primates known to date.
So, seized by curiosity, he set out to investigate King Kong in real life. His studies took him deep into mainland China. Over there discovered the remains of a species he named Gigantopithecus blacki. Indeed, it was the largest primate that had ever existed. He was then able to prove the hypothesis that King Kong existed.
There is a fact about the Gigantopithecus that draws our attention. Were it not for some truly retrograde practices on the part of medicine and Chinese culture, today we could have more than one complete skeleton of this fascinating species. However, for many years each fossil that was found of this primate (just like the dinosaur ones) was used to make powder from their bones and get “magic remedies.” They were called dragon bones because of their large size.
What were their habits like?
It is interesting when testing the hypothesis that King Kong existed, to get closer to what his characteristics and life habits were. We know that it was a large and quadrupedal animal. All remains of this species have been found in Asia. His diet is one of the most controversial points for researchers. Most defend that it was a vegetarian animal. That their diet was composed mainly of bamboo and some seasonal fruits. For this reason, their eating style has been compared to that of panda bears.
Another smaller group of researchers who have studied King Kong in real life, They defend that this imposing monkey also ate meat. Unfortunately, only some of its teeth and lower jaw are known, so hypotheses in this regard cannot be fully tested.
Why was King Kong extinct in real life?
Something calls our attention a lot in relation to the history of this enormous primate. King Kong existed at a time when he had the opportunity to live with the Homo erectus that populated China. That is, there could be interaction between both species. Studies reveal that their extinction may have occurred about 300 thousand years ago.
Now, it is very likely that right now you have a question on your mind: Why did King Kong become extinct in real life? Why can’t we enjoy their presence in our ecosystems? Good, something that already offers us a clue is the size: very large, with a select diet and a scenario that, in the Pleistocene, changed little by little but in an unstoppable way until very extensive savannahs were formed.
Gigatopithecus did not know how to climb trees, and its bamboo-based diet meant that day by day, it had to adapt to having “to eat less”. Its metabolism was slow, but its food needs were great, so as the bamboo fields were lost, this primate sadly but inevitably became extinct. According to scientists from the University of Tübingen, in Germany, this great primate that lived in the wooded areas of southern China and Southeast Asia could not get used to these new, more arid scenarios.
While other apes in Africa had no problem changing their diet to grasses, roots or other elements that the environment itself offered, this incredible and (probably) beautiful animal could not achieve it. As a curious fact, and to now offer a certain nuance to take into account for a debate, is that many cryptozoologists consider that the Gigatopithecus continues to inhabit some forests. Although this is not how it is known today, for many they are…Bigfoots! However, we leave this information on the shelf of the “urban legend”, to stay exclusively with this wonderful creature that we would have liked to have in our present.
And you, Did you know that King Kong existed? Would you have liked to see with your own eyes the imposing King Kong in real life? Dare to leave us all your opinions in a comment. We will be happy to read you! And remember, if you liked this article, also meet the incredible Smilodon or saber teeth. We find ourselves with a super curious next topic!