第2074期:Study: Largest Ape Went Extinct Because of Climate Change

An ancient species of great ape likely disappeared hundreds of thousands of years ago when climate change put their favorite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists recently reported.

科学家最近报告说，一种古老的类人猿物种可能在数十万年前就消失了，因为气候变化使它们在旱季无法获得最喜爱的水果。

The species is known as Gigantopithecus blacki. It once lived in southern China. It stood 3 meters tall and weighed up to 295 kilograms. It represents the largest great ape known to scientists.

该物种被称为黑巨猿。 它曾经生活在中国南方。 它高3米，重295公斤。 它代表了科学家已知的最大的类人猿。

“It’s just a massive animal – just really, really big,” said Renaud Joannes-Boyau. He is a researcher at Australia’s Southern Cross University. He helped write the study, which recently appeared in the publication Nature.

“它只是一种巨大的动物——非常非常大，”雷诺·乔安妮-博约说。 他是澳大利亚南十字星大学的研究员。 他帮助撰写了这项研究，该研究最近发表在《自然》杂志上。

But its size may also have been a weakness. Joannes-Boyau said, “When food starts to be scarce, it’s so big it can’t climb trees to explore new food sources.”

但其规模也可能是一个弱点。 乔安妮斯-博约说：“当食物开始短缺时，它就太大了，无法爬上树去探索新的食物来源。”

The huge apes likely looked similar to the modern orangutan. It survived for around 2 million years in the forested land of China’s Guangxiarea. They ate plants that included fruits and flowers --- until the environment began to change.

这些巨大的猿类看起来很可能与现代猩猩相似。 它在中国广西地区的林地里生存了大约200万年。 他们吃植物，包括水果和花朵——直到环境开始改变。

Starting about 600,000 years ago, Guangxi’s forests began producing fewer fruits. The area was experiencing more periods of dry weather. Researchers examined pollen and sediment found in underground areas called caves to learn more about the changes and their effects.

大约从60万年前开始，广西的森林开始产出较少的水果。 该地区正经历更多时期的干旱天气。 研究人员检查了在称为洞穴的地下区域发现的花粉和沉积物，以更多地了解这些变化及其影响。

The giant apes did not disappear quickly, the researchers say. They likely went extinct sometime between 215,000 and 295,000 years ago.

研究人员表示，巨猿并没有很快消失。 它们可能在 215,000 至 295,000 年前的某个时间灭绝。

As the climate changed, smaller apes may have been able to climb trees to search for different food. But the researchers found that the giant apes ate more food that provided less nutrients. That less nutritious food included tree bark and thin grasses called reeds.

随着气候变化，较小的猿类可能能够爬树寻找不同的食物。 但研究人员发现，巨猿吃的食物较多，但提供的营养较少。 营养较差的食物包括树皮和称为芦苇的稀草。

“When the forest changed, there was not enough food preferred by the species,” said Zhang Yingqi of China’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. He helped write the study.

中国古脊椎动物与古人类研究所的张英奇说：“当森林发生变化时，该物种所喜欢的食物就不够了。” 他帮助撰写了这项研究。

Most of what scientists know about the extinct great apes comes from studying their remains, or fossils. The fossilized bones they studied included teeth and four large lower jaw bones. All of the fossils were found in southern China. No complete skeletons have been found.

科学家对已灭绝类人猿的了解大部分来自于对它们遗骸或化石的研究。 他们研究的骨骼化石包括牙齿和四块大的下颌骨。 所有化石都是在中国南方发现的。 尚未发现完整的骨骼。

Between around 2 million and 22 million years ago, many species of great apes lived in Africa, Europe, and Asia, fossil records show. Today, only gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and humans remain.

化石记录显示，大约 200 万至 2200 万年前，许多种类的类人猿生活在非洲、欧洲和亚洲。 如今，只剩下大猩猩、黑猩猩、倭黑猩猩、猩猩和人类。