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.
科学家最近报告称，一种古老的大型类人猿物种可能在数十万年前就消失了，当时气候变化让它们在旱季无法获得自己最喜欢的水果。
The species is known as Gigantopithecus blacki.
该物种被称为步氏巨猿。
It once lived in southern China.
它曾经生活在中国南部。
It stood 3 meters tall and weighed up to 295 kilograms.
它高3米，重达295公斤。
It represents the largest great ape known to scientists.
它代表了科学家已知的最大型类人猿。
"It's just a massive animal - just really, really big," said Renaud Joannes-Boyau.
雷诺·约翰内斯-博尤说：“这只是一种巨大的动物——真的，真的很大。”
He is a researcher at Australia's Southern Cross University.
他是澳大利亚南十字星大学的一名研究人员。
He helped write the study, which recently appeared in the publication Nature.
他帮助撰写了这项最近发表在《自然》杂志上的研究。
But its size may also have been a weakness.
但它的体型可能也是一个弱点。
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.
约翰内斯-博尤说：“当食物开始匮乏时，这种动物体型太大了，根本无法爬树去探索新的食物来源。”巨型类人猿很可能看起来像现代的猩猩。
It survived for around 2 million years in the forested land of China's Guangxi area.
它在中国广西地区的森林土地上存活了大约200万年。
They ate plants that included fruits and flowers --- until the environment began to change.
他们吃包括水果和花卉在内的植物——直到环境开始改变。
Starting about 600,000 years ago, Guangxi's forests began producing fewer fruits.
从大约60万年前开始，广西森林产出的水果开始减少。
The area was experiencing more periods of dry weather.
该地区当时正在经历更多的干旱期。
Researchers examined pollen and sediment found in underground areas called caves to learn more about the changes and their effects.
研究人员检查了在被称为洞穴的地下区域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。
The giant apes did not disappear quickly, the researchers say.
研究人员说当时巨猿并没有很快消失。
They likely went extinct sometime between 215,000 and 295,000 years ago.
它们可能在21.5万年前到29。5万年前的某个时候灭绝了。
As the climate changed, smaller apes may have been able to climb trees to search for different food.
随着气候的变化，较小的类人猿可能已经能够爬树去寻找不同的食物了。
But the researchers found that the giant apes ate more food that provided less nutrients.
但研究人员发现，这种巨猿吃提供营养更少的食物更多些。
That less nutritious food included tree bark and thin grasses called reeds.
那些营养较少的食物包括树皮和叫做芦苇的细草。
"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.
“当该森林发生变化时，这种巨猿喜欢的食物就不够了，”中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所的张颖奇说。
He helped write the study.
他帮助撰写了研究报告。
Most of what scientists know about the extinct great apes comes from studying their remains, or fossils.
科学家们对这种已灭绝类人猿的大部分了解来自于对其遗骸或化石的研究。
The fossilized bones they studied included teeth and four large lower jaw bones.
他们研究的骨骼化石包括牙齿和四块大的下颌骨。
All of the fossils were found in southern China.
这些化石都发现于中国南部。
No complete skeletons have been found.
目前尚未发现完整的骨骼。
Between around 2 million and 22 million years ago, many species of great apes lived in Africa, Europe, and Asia, fossil records show.
化石记录显示，在大约200万年前到2200万年前，许多类人猿物种生活在非洲、欧洲和亚洲。
Today, only gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans and humans remain.
如今，类人猿物种只剩下大猩猩、黑猩猩、倭黑猩猩、红毛猩猩和人类。
I'm Gregory Stachel.
格雷戈里·斯塔切尔为您播报。
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