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Hemiauchenia (talk | contribs) Undid revision 1305742250 by Peak-bagger (talk) The show first aired in the UK over a decade ago, and there's no secondary coverage showing that this is WP:DUE to include. |
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''Gigantopithecus'' has traditionally been restored as a massive, [[gorilla]]-like ape, potentially {{convert|200|-|300|kg|abbr=in}} when alive, but the paucity of remains make total size estimates highly speculative. The species may have been [[sexual dimorphism|sexually dimorphic]], with males much bigger than females. The incisors are reduced and the canines appear to have functioned like [[cheek teeth]] ([[premolar]]s and molars). The premolars are high-[[crown (tooth)|crowned]], and the fourth premolar is very molar-like. The molars are the largest of any known ape, and have a relatively flat surface. ''Gigantopithecus'' had the thickest [[tooth enamel|enamel]] by absolute measure of any ape, up to {{convert|6|mm|in|abbr=in|frac=4}} in some areas, though this is only fairly thick when tooth size is taken into account.
''Gigantopithecus'' appears to have been a [[generalist and specialist species|generalist]] herbivore of [[C3 carbon fixation|C<sub>3</sub>]] forest plants, with the jaw adapted to grinding, crushing, and cutting through tough, fibrous plants, and the thick enamel functioning to resist foods with abrasive particles such as stems, roots, and [[tuber]]s with dirt. Some teeth bear traces of [[fig family]] fruits, which may have been important dietary components. It primarily lived in subtropical to tropical forest, and went extinct about 300,000 years ago likely because of the retreat of preferred habitat due to climate change, and potentially [[archaic human]] activity. ''Gigantopithecus'' has become popular in [[cryptozoology]] circles as the identity of the Tibetan [[yeti]] or the American [[bigfoot]], apelike creatures in local folklore
==Discovery==
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