News for Nov. 09, 2005

Giant gorilla was once a human neighbor

11/09/05, 1:07 pm EST - Xoanon

King Kong, you have some competition. A 10-foot-tall, 1,200-pound gorilla dwelled among early humans, says a new report by a Canadian researcher. Jack Rink of Canada's McMaster University concludes that the largest primate that ever lived, Gigantopithecus blackii, lived in Asia for nearly 1 million years before dying out about 100,000 years ago. Dating of fossil teeth and jawbones, the only remnants of the creature, reveals the ape's age. The gorilla had molars that measured 1 inch across, which was useful in its vegetarian diet. [More]