this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2025
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The largest ape that ever walked the Earth, Gigantopithecus blacki, lived in what is now China and went extinct between 295,000–215,000 years ago.

πŸ“ Height: ~3 meters (9.8 ft)

βš–οΈ Weight: 200–300 kg (441–661 lbs)

πŸ“Έ Image: Paleo-anthro sculptor Bill Munns with his Giganto reconstruction in his Los Angeles backyard.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06900-0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus

all 35 comments
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[–] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

What I imagined gorillas looked like as a child.

imagine a homo florensis (hobbit people lived in they area), walking though the forest and meeting a Gigantopithecus.

Like meeting a gid

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 39 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It’s super cool that we can still see it even though the photograph isn’t real.

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I think its a real photo of a recreation of the ape.

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 week ago (1 children)

No, it’s not a real photograph. It says so in the photograph.

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic.

Sure but I think this photograph was taken in an era when the only technology available to make an image that looked like this was photography. At that time "not a real photograph" was the equivalent to the statement "a photograph of something which is not what it appears to be".

[–] BreadOven@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

Pretty sure they're just joking. They're correct though, it says it's not real on the photo, photos don't lie.

[–] original_charles@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago

Depicting what the extinct Gigantopithecus blacki looked like standing next to a modern human for scale.

Which one is which?

[–] MissJinx@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

Basketball players and their girlfriends

[–] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We finally got a clear picture of bigfoot.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

Call Joe Rogan

[–] ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 week ago

Wikipedia on gorillas:

The heaviest wild gorilla recorded was a 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) silverback shot in Ambam, Cameroon, which weighed 267 kg (589 lb).[30] The tallest gorilla in captivity was Gust, a western lowland gorilla that was captured as a baby in Belgian Congo and spent his life at Antwerp Zoo. He was 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in) tall. Males in captivity can be overweight and reach weights up to 310 kg (683 lb).

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Caption writer seems to be confused about what a real photograph is and what conceptual means.

[–] Wolf314159@startrek.website 4 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Fake and real photograph used to have a very different meaning indeed.

This is a "real" photo of Denise Richards and Paul Walker:Denise Richards and Paul Walker

This is a "fake" photo of Denise Richards and Paul Walker (in the body of a cybernetic T-Rex): Fake Photo of Denise Richards and the soul Paul Walker in the body of a cybernetic T-Rex

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

In case I wasn't clear about this in my other reply, my main point is that a photo of something fake is not the same thing add as a fake photo. If the dinosaur is animatronic, it's not a fake photo. If the dinosaur is CGI, yeah fake photo.

Yeah, that's why my comment was basically words and phrases have shifting connotations as time passes and contexts change.

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz -1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

No, this is sloppy use of language, which worked the same 50 years ago. The only thing different today is the range of things that exist that we can infer that they really mean by their sloppy language. There were still ways to manipulate photos, before CGI. One might have called such a manipulated photo a 'fake photograph' in that day (though even that is arguably a little sloppy). But a non manipulated photo of a real physical model is not in any way a 'fake photograph'. You could say a photograph of a fake Gigantopithecus, or of a fake scene but that's not the same thing. Yes, we can infer what's meant when people carelessly slap adjectives on the wrong nouns, but it is sloppy writing.

Notice how much more accurate and well written OP's description is: "Paleo-anthro sculptor Bill Munns with his Giganto reconstruction"

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 days ago

Yeah nah.

I agree that its sloppy language but it would've been more descriptive in the 80s.

[–] Wolf314159@startrek.website 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Dude I'm not arguing that it's correct or not, I'm saying that this is the way many people used to (and how some still do) use the language.

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz -1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Oh, sure, no disagreement from me on that. But this looks to me like something from a magazine, so one expects some level of professionalism. Now if this is some 12 year old's fanzine or something, ok, I feel bad for giving them shit, but a professional journalist should be embarrassed.

No u should πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I just commented this somewhere else:

I think this photograph was taken in an era when the only technology available to make an image that looked like this was photography. At that time "not a real photograph" was the equivalent to the statement "a photograph of something which is not what it appears to be".

[–] blackbrook@mander.xyz 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

See my reply to the other reply to my comment.

[–] Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago

Is there any evidence it stood on two feet? Figured it would look more like a gorilla then this.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

The banana is being covered by the dude's left arm.

[–] AdamBomb@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 week ago
[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Great photo. Tried to fix the colors just enough to clarify the scale:

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Didn't these two do the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs?

[–] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago

"Holy FUCK, boys! He looks t' be about a ten footer!"

[–] Engywuck@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago

Raoh vs. Ken in Fist of the North Star.

Chewbacca here is first mate on a ship that might suit us.

RAWRGWAWGGR

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think it would be cool if it was something a bit more human-esque.

Like less contrast between the colours of his fur/face, overall a bit less hair, let's suppose it's just more mobile than gorillas but not as mobile and agile as we are, but that it could make it less hairy due to sweating and whatnot.

And chimp faces are just a tad more human in my opinion than gorillas. And gigantipithecus... sounds like it might be more related to us than gorillas

[–] higgsboson@piefed.social 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah, my dude just looks like a swole orangutan.

The Librarian, asked to comment, offered only: "Ook."

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Actually I went to read after writing the comment and while originally they thought it might be a hominin, now they think it is actually more closely related to orangutans, making my comment kinda stupid. (Except I still think the face is off. Should be more understanding and kind, orangutangish.)

Don't tell anyone. Well you can tell the Librarian. We're scheduled for coffee next week anyway in the L-space. Feel free to tag along.