VOA科学技术2024 研究称气候变化导致步氏巨猿灭绝（在线收听）

Study: Largest Ape Went Extinct Because of Climate Change

研究称气候变化导致步氏巨猿灭绝

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.

科学家最近报道，一种古老的类人猿可能在数十万年前消失了，当时气候变化使它们在旱季无法获得最喜欢的水果。

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.

该物种被称为步氏巨猿。它曾经生活在中国南方。它高3米，重达295公斤。它代表了科学家所知的最大的类人猿。

"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.

雷纳德·乔安妮·博约表示：“它确实是一只巨大的动物——真的非常、非常巨大。”他是澳大利亚南十字大学的研究员。他帮助撰写了这项研究，该研究最近发表在《自然》杂志上。

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."

但它的体型也可能是一个弱点。乔安妮·博约说：“当食物开始短缺时，它太大了，无法爬上树去探索新的食物来源。”

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.

这些巨大的类人猿看起来很可能与现代猩猩相似。它在中国广西地区的森林中存活了大约200万年。它们吃包括水果和花朵在内的植物，直到环境开始改变。

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.

从大约60万年前开始，广西的森林水果开始减产。该地区正经历更多的干旱期。研究人员检查了地下洞穴中发现的花粉和沉积物，以了解更多关于环境变化及其影响的信息。

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

研究人员说，这种类人猿并没有很快消失。它们很可能在215000年至295000年前灭绝。

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.

随着气候的变化，体型较小的类人猿可能已经能够爬上树去寻找不同的食物。但研究人员发现，这种类人猿食用更多营养不良的食物。这些营养不良的食物包括树皮和薄草芦苇。

"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.

中国古脊椎动物与古人类研究所的张颖奇说：“当森林发生变化时，没有足够的食物供物种选择。”他帮忙撰写了这份研究报告。

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.

科学家们对这种已灭绝的类人猿的了解大多来自于对其遗骸或化石的研究。他们研究的骨骼化石包括牙齿和四块大的下颚骨。所有这些化石都是在中国南方发现的。科学家们没有发现完整的骨骼。

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.

化石记录显示，大约200万至2200万年前，许多种类的类人猿生活在非洲、欧洲和亚洲。今天，只剩下大猩猩、黑猩猩、倭黑猩猩、猩猩和人类。