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submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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The largest ape that ever walked the Earth, Gigantopithecus blacki, lived in what is now China and went extinct between 295,000–215,000 years ago.

📏 Height: ~3 meters (9.8 ft)

⚖️ Weight: 200–300 kg (441–661 lbs)

📸 Image: Paleo-anthro sculptor Bill Munns with his Giganto reconstruction in his Los Angeles backyard.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06900-0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus

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[-] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago

Wikipedia on gorillas:

The heaviest wild gorilla recorded was a 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) silverback shot in Ambam, Cameroon, which weighed 267 kg (589 lb).[30] The tallest gorilla in captivity was Gust, a western lowland gorilla that was captured as a baby in Belgian Congo and spent his life at Antwerp Zoo. He was 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in) tall. Males in captivity can be overweight and reach weights up to 310 kg (683 lb).

[-] Zerush@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 days ago

The Gigantopithecus has nothing to do with Gorillas, it was a specie which lived between 6 millon and 200.000 years ago and with an estimated hight between 2,7 - 3m. Means that the recreation of the photo is correct, except, like also Gorillas he moved mostly over legs and arms.

[-] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

The Gigantopithecus is the largest extinct primate and the gorilla is the largest extant primate. They are both primates. So are humans but we already have an idea about how big humans can get.

Edit: I should have included something on the average size of gorillas though since these Giganto sizes are approximately averages.