Study: Largest Ape Went Extinct Because of Climate Change

Study: Largest Ape Went Extinct Because of Climate Change

研究：最大的猿类因气候变化而灭绝

【听力音频】

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　　By Gregory Stachel

　　15 January 2024

　　An ancient species of great ape likely disappeared hundreds of thousands of years ago when climate change put their favorite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists recently reported.

　　The species is known as Gigantopithecus blacki. It once lived in southern China. It stood 3 meters tall and weighed up to 295 kilograms. It represents the largest great ape known to scientists.

　　"It's just a massive animal – just really, really big," said Renaud Joannes-Boyau. He is a researcher at Australia's Southern Cross University. He helped write the study, which recently appeared in the publication Nature.

　　But its size may also have been a weakness. Joannes-Boyau said, "When food starts to be scarce, it's so big it can't climb trees to explore new food sources."

　　The huge apes likely looked similar to the modern orangutan. It survived for around 2 million years in the forested land of China's Guangxi area. They ate plants that included fruits and flowers --- until the environment began to change.

　　Starting about 600,000 years ago, Guangxi's forests began producing fewer fruits. The area was experiencing more periods of dry weather. Researchers examined pollen and sediment found in underground areas called caves to learn more about the changes and their effects.

　　The giant apes did not disappear quickly, the researchers say. They likely went extinct sometime between 215,000 and 295,000 years ago.

　　As the climate changed, smaller apes may have been able to climb trees to search for different food. But the researchers found that the giant apes ate more food that provided less nutrients. That less nutritious food included tree bark and thin grasses called reeds.

　　"When the forest changed, there was not enough food preferred by the species," said Zhang Yingqi of China's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. He helped write the study.

　　Most of what scientists know about the extinct great apes comes from studying their remains, or fossils. The fossilized bones they studied included teeth and four large lower jaw bones. All of the fossils were found in southern China. No complete skeletons have been found.

　　Between around 2 million and 22 million years ago, many species of great apes lived in Africa, Europe, and Asia, fossil records show. Today, only gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and humans remain.

　　I'm Gregory Stachel.

　　Christina Larson reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：格雷戈里·斯塔切尔

　　2024年1月15日

　　科学家最近报告，一种古老的大猿类物种可能在数十万年前消失，当时气候变化使它们在干旱季节无法触及最喜欢的水果。

　　这个物种被称为黑猿，曾经生活在中国南部，身高3米，体重高达295公斤。它是科学家已知的最大的大猿。

　　"这只是一种巨大的动物 - 真的非常非常大，" 澳大利亚南十字大学的研究员雷诺·约翰内斯-博亚乌说。他帮助撰写了这项最近发表在《自然》杂志上的研究。

　　但它的体型也可能是其弱点。约翰内斯-博亚乌说，“当食物开始变得稀缺时，它由于体型太大无法爬树寻找新的食物来源。”

　　这种巨大的猿类可能看起来与现代的猩猩相似。它在中国广西地区的森林地带生存了大约200万年。它们的食物包括水果和花朵——直到环境开始变化。

　　大约在60万年前，广西的森林开始产生的水果减少。该地区开始经历更多的干旱天气。研究人员检查了在地下洞穴中发现的花粉和沉积物，以了解更多关于这些变化及其影响的信息。

　　研究人员表示，巨大的猿类并没有迅速消失。它们可能在21.5万到29.5万年前的某个时候灭绝。

　　随着气候变化，较小的猿类可能能够爬树寻找不同的食物。但研究人员发现，巨大的猿类吃的食物更多，但提供的营养却更少。这些营养较少的食物包括树皮和被称为芦苇的细草。

　　"当森林发生变化时，这个物种喜欢的食物不足，"中国古脊椎动物和古人类研究所的张英琪说。他帮助撰写了这项研究。

　　科学家们对已经灭绝的大猿的了解大多来自于研究它们的遗骸，或者化石。他们研究的化石骨头包括牙齿和四个大的下颚骨。所有的化石都是在中国南部发现的。还没有发现完整的骨骼。

　　化石记录显示，大约在200万年到2200万年前，许多种类的大猿在非洲、欧洲和亚洲生活。如今，只有大猩猩、黑猩猩、倭黑猩猩、猩猩和人类仍然存在。

　　我是格雷戈里·斯塔切尔。

　　克里斯蒂娜·拉森为美联社报道了这个故事。格雷戈里·斯塔切尔为美国之音学习英语改编了它。

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　　故事中的词汇

　　ape - n. 一种动物类型（如黑猩猩或大猩猩），与猴子和人类有密切关系，全身覆盖着毛发，没有尾巴或尾巴非常短。

　　massive - adj. 非常大且重的。

　　scarce - adj. 数量非常少。

　　pollen - n. 通常是黄色的非常细小的尘埃，由植物产生，并通常通过风或昆虫传播到同种植物，以便植物可以产生种子。

　　sediment - n. 由水或风带入水中的物质（如石头和沙子）。

　　prefer - v. 更喜欢（某人或某物）而不是其他人或物。