Gigantopithecus

American  

[jahy-gan-toh-pi-thee-kuhs, -pith-i-kuhs, ji-] / dʒaɪˌgæn toʊ pɪˈθi kəs, -ˈpɪθ ɪ kəs, dʒɪ- /

noun

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of Gigantopithecus

1940–45; < New Latin < Greek gigant- (stem of gígās ) giant + -o- -o- + píthēkos ape

Example Sentences

The samples included both modern and archaic humans such as Neanderthals, early human ancestors like Australopithecus africanus, and extinct great apes including Gigantopithecus blacki.

From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025

Westaway and colleagues found that Gigantopithecus lived in China between 2.3 million and 215,000 years ago.

From National Geographic • Jan. 10, 2024

Gigantopithecus declined and then disappeared as this environmental shift was taking hold.

From National Geographic • Jan. 10, 2024

For reasons yet unknown, Westaway says, some of the last Gigantopithecus were among the largest.

From National Geographic • Jan. 10, 2024

Published today in Nature, a new study combines geological dates, pollen records, and clues preserved inside fossil teeth to present a detailed timeline of when, and how, Gigantopithecus blacki went extinct.

From National Geographic • Jan. 10, 2024