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Evolutionary trend in dental size in Gigantopithecus blacki revisited
Yingqi Zhang1, Reiko T Kono2, Wei Wang3
1Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.
Journal of Human Evolution
|April 22, 2015
Summary
New analysis of Gigantopithecus blacki teeth reveals less sexual dimorphism than previously thought. Dental size in this extinct ape did increase over time during the Early to Middle Pleistocene.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Primate Evolution
- Paleoanthropology
Background:
- Previous studies on Gigantopithecus blacki dental dimorphism and size trends were based on limited pre-1990 fossil collections.
- Recent discoveries of over a dozen new cave sites in southern China have significantly expanded the available fossil record of G. blacki.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate sexual dimorphism in Gigantopithecus blacki using an expanded fossil sample.
- To reassess the trend of dental size increase over time in Gigantopithecus blacki.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of an expanded collection of over 700 Gigantopithecus blacki teeth from multiple dated cave sites in southern China.
- Comparative statistical analysis of dental metrics to assess sexual dimorphism and temporal size variation.
Main Results:
- Sexual dimorphism in Gigantopithecus blacki is less pronounced than previously indicated by earlier studies.
- A significant trend of increasing postcanine tooth size in Gigantopithecus blacki from the Early Pleistocene to the Middle Pleistocene is confirmed.
Conclusions:
- The expanded fossil evidence suggests a moderate degree of sexual dimorphism in Gigantopithecus blacki.
- The findings support the hypothesis of gradual dental size increase in Gigantopithecus blacki throughout the Early and Middle Pleistocene epochs.
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