At Least Giganto Didn't Bring Extinction On Itself

For relatively unspecialist Mammals, Primates have generally proved a highly successful group. The largest ever Primate was Giganto (Gigantopithecus blacki), a creature now estimated to have died out 215,000-295,000 years ago. Giganto is thought to have reached 3M in height and 200-300kg in weight. Giganto lived in the forests of S-E Asia where it fed on fruits, available year round. Recent, detailed research, from Maquarie University, strongly suggests climate change caused the extinction of these enormous primates (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/jan/10/giganto-largest-ever-primate-died-out-due-to-diet-change-say-scientists). It had been assumed that Giganto died out because it was unable to live in the savannah that replaced forests. This species path to extinction, however, seems to have started somewhat earlier. Around 600,000-700,000 years ago, the environment shifted. This resulted in S-E Asia's dense forests with their grassland patches, becoming more open forests. Fruits formerly available throughout the year, became scarce in the new dry seasons. Giganto couldn't deal with this change by migration. Data indicates these animals switched to a diet of twigs and bark, when fruit wasn't available. This tough and calorie-deficient diet was unable to maintain animals of their bulk for extended periods. So, the Giganto seem to have been victims of a combination of climate change and their inability to sufficiently adapt their diet. Unlike Homo sapiens, however, these Primates didn't drive the climate change they experienced. It's suspected that our adaptability will be severely tested by our anthropogenic climate crisis.