Gigantopithecus fossil map
Where fossils of Gigantopithecus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 11.63–0.129 million years ago (Tortonian to Chibanian) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Hominidae |
| Named by | von Koenigswald 1935 |
| Fossil records | 20 occurrences at 10 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China, Vietnam, India |
| Rock formations | txn:40899, Dhok Pathan |
About Gigantopithecus
Gigantopithecus ( jy-gan-toh-pih-THEE-kəs, -PITH-ih-kəs, jih-) is an extinct genus of great ape that lived in central to southern China from two million to approximately 215,000–295,000 years ago during the Early to Middle Pleistocene, represented by one species, Gigantopithecus blacki. The first remains of Gigantopithecus, two third-molar teeth, were identified in a drugstore by anthropologist Ralph von Koenigswald in 1935 in England, who subsequently described the ape. In 1956, the first mandible and more than 1,000 teeth were found in Liucheng, and numerous more remains have since been found in at least 16 sites. Only teeth and four mandibles are known currently. Other skeletal elements were likely consumed by porcupines before they could fossilize. Gigantopithecus was once argued to be a hominin, a member of the human line, but it is now thought to be closely allied with orangutans, classified in the subfamily Ponginae.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gigantopithecus (revision 1378530934), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q310434.
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