Abstract:

Gigantopithecus blacki is the largest hominoid that ever lived in southern China during Pleistocene epoch. Based on its highly specialized dentognathic anatomy, especially extremely large dentition and mandible size, this giant species is estimated to have a body mass of at least 200 kg. So far, chronological and biostratigraphic evidences indicate that G. blacki occupation ranged from 2 MaBP to 0.3 MaBP. The origins and evolution of this animal are controversial for long time, due to the absence of geological fossil record in late Miocene to Pliocene. In Nature (2019) we reported a proteome study on tooth enamel of G. blacki in Chuifeng cave of early Pleistocene (1.9 MaBP) in Bubing Basin, southern China^[1]. We identified no endogenous proteins from the dentine, but instead recovered an ancient enamel proteome composed of 409 unique peptides matching 6 endogenous proteins. We demonstrate that G. blacki is a sister clade to orangutans (genus Pongo) with a common ancestor about 12~10 MaBP. This is the first time that molecular evidence is retrieved from such ancient fossil in the subtropical region, further suggesting that the study of ancient proteins will provide strong support for the exploration of the origin and evolution of extinct species, including hominins. In addition, this paper will also briefly review the history of phylogenetic and divergence discussion of Gigantopithecus and introduce the proceeding of the ancient proteins study.

Key words: Gigantopithecus blacki, Ancient proteins, Early Pleistocene, Chuifeng Cave, Bubing Basin