I-Gigantopithecus, ebizwa ngokuba "yi-ape enkulu", ibe ngumxholo wengxabano kunye neengcamango phakathi kwezazinzulu kunye nabathandi be-Bigfoot ngokufanayo. Le prehistoric primate, eyayihlala kuMzantsi-mpuma Asia ngaphezu kweminyaka eyisigidi eyadlulayo, kukholelwa ukuba yayiphakame kangangeemitha ezili-10 ubude kwaye inobunzima obungaphezu kweekhilogram ezingama-1,200. Abanye abaphandi bacinga ukuba i-Gigantopithecus inokuba likhonkco elilahlekileyo phakathi kweenkawu kunye nabantu, ngelixa abanye bekholelwa ukuba inokuba ngukhokho wendaleko weBigfoot yasentsomini. Nangona kukho ubungqina obuncinane be-fossil obukhoyo, abantu abaninzi emhlabeni jikelele baqhubeka bechaza ukubonwa kwezidalwa ezinkulu, ezinoboya, ezine-bipedal ezifana neenkcazo zeBigfoot. Ngaba le mibono ingaba bubungqina beGigantopithecus ephilayo?
I-Gigantopithecus luhlobo olungasekhoyo lwenkawu olwalukho nje kwiminyaka eyi-100,000 eyadlulayo. Iifosili zezidalwa ziye zafunyanwa eTshayina, eIndiya naseVietnam. Iindidi zazihlala kwindawo enye kunye nezinye i-hominins ezininzi, kodwa zazinkulu kakhulu kubukhulu bomzimba. Iirekhodi zefosili zicebisa ukuba Gigantopithecus emnyama yafikelela kubukhulu obuziimitha ezi-3 (9.8 ft), nobunzima obuziikhilogram ezingama-540 (1,200 lb), obusondele kobegorila yanamhlanje.
Ngo-1935, amathambo okuqala eGigantopithecus afunyanwa yingcali yenzululwazi yendalo kunye nenzululwazi yokwakheka komhlaba egama linguGustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald xa wafumana ingqokelela yamathambo namazinyo i-apothecary ivenkile eTshayina. URalph von Koenigswald uye wafunda ukuba isixa esikhulu sezidalwa amazinyo kunye namathambo ayesetyenziswa kumayeza akudala aseTshayina.
Iifosili zeGigantopithecus zifumaneka ikakhulu kwicandelo elisemzantsi-mpuma weAsia. Ngowe-1955, amashumi amane anesixhenxe Gigantopithecus emnyama amazinyo afunyenwe phakathi kwenqanawa "yamathambo enamba" eTshayina. Abasemagunyeni balanda uthutho babuyela kumthombo owawunengqokelela enkulu yamazinyo eGigantopithecus kunye nemihlathi. Ngo-1958, iimandibles ezintathu (imihlathi engezantsi) kunye namazinyo angaphezu kwe-1,300 yesidalwa ayefunyenwe. Ayizizo zonke iintsalela eziye zabhalwa kwixesha elifanayo kwaye kukho ezintathu (eziphelelweyo) ezibizwa ngokuba ziintlobo zeGigantopithecus.
Imihlathi yeGigantopithecus inzulu kwaye ingqindilili. Iimolars zithe tyaba kwaye zibonisa isakhono sokugaya okunzima. Amazinyo akwanazo nenani elikhulu lemingxuma, efana neepanda ezinkulu, kucingelwa ukuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba zityile uqalo. Uvavanyo lwemikrwelo emincinci kunye nezityalo ezisele zifunyenwe kumazinyo eGigantopithecus ziye zacebisa ukuba izidalwa zitye imbewu, imifuno, iziqhamo kunye ne-bamboo.
Zonke iimpawu ezibonakaliswe yiGigantopithecus zenze ukuba ezinye i-cryptozoologists ziqhathanise isidalwa kwiSasquatch. Omnye waba bantu nguGrover Krantz, owayekholelwa ukuba uBigfoot wayelilungu eliphilayo leGigantopithecus. UKrantz wayekholelwa ukuba inani lezi zidalwa lalinokufuduka linqumle ibhulorho yomhlaba yaseBering, eyathi kamva yasetyenziswa ngabantu ukungena kuMntla Merika.
Ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yama-20, kwakucingwa ukuba kunjalo Gigantopithecus emnyama wayengukhokho wabantu, ngenxa yobungqina be-molar, kodwa le ngcamango iye yachithwa. Namhlanje, ingcamango yendaleko eguquguqukayo isetyenziswe ukuchaza ukufana kwe-molar. Ngokusemthethweni, Gigantopithecus emnyama ibekwe kwintsapho engaphantsi Ponginae kunye ne Orang-utan. Kodwa le ngxilimbela yamandulo yatshabalala njani?
Ngalo lonke ixesha uGigantopithecus wayephila, IiPanda ezinkulu kwaye Homo erectus ebehlala kuloo mmandla nabo. Kucingelwa ukuba kuba iiPandas kunye neGigantopithecus zazifuna isixa esikhulu sokutya okufanayo, bakhuphisana omnye nomnye, kunye nepanda iphuma isoyisile. Kwakhona, iGigantopithecus yaphela ngexesha Homo erectus qala ukufudukela kuloo ndawo. Loo nto mhlawumbi ayizange ifane.
Kwelinye icala, kwi-1 yezigidi zeminyaka eyadlulayo, imozulu yaqala ukutshintsha kwaye iindawo ezinamahlathi zijike zaba yi-savannah efana ne-landscape, ebangela ukuba kube nzima kwinkawu enkulu ukufumana ukutya. Ukutya kwakubaluleke kakhulu kwiGigantopithecus. Ekubeni babenomzimba omkhulu, babenemetabolism ephezulu kwaye ngaloo ndlela bafa ngokulula kunezinye izilwanyana xa kungekho kutya kwaneleyo.
Ukuqukumbela, akukacaci ukuba iBigfoot ikhona na njengesidalwa esele sikhona kangangeenkulungwane, okanye yintsomi yanamhlanje eqala kumaxesha eVictorian. Nangona kunjalo, into ecacileyo kukuba i-Bigfoot kunye ne-Gigantopithecus zikhona njengeziganeko zebhayoloji ezingafunyanwanga yisayensi.
IGigantopithecus ligama elibhekisa kwiprimate enkulu eyayikho eMzantsi-mpuma Asia ngexesha iPaleolithic ephantsi. Usenokuba ucinga ukuba zonke iindidi zeenkawu ezabhangayo zazinkulu, kodwa uya kumangaliswa kukwazi ukuba iGigantopithecus kukholelwa ukuba yayinkulu ngakumbi kunayo nayiphi na enye inkawu eyakha yaphila emhlabeni, kuquka iOrang-utan! Ngenxa yobukhulu bezi zilwanyana, zaba lihlumelo lokuzivelela lenkawu.
Ubungqina befosili obukhoyo bubonisa ukuba i-Gigantopithecus yayingeyiyo iprimate ephumelele ngakumbi. Akukacaci ukuba kutheni le nto kukholelwa ukuba iphelile, kodwa kunokwenzeka ukuba oku kungenxa yokhuphiswano olujongene nalo lwezilwanyana ezikhulu nezinobundlobongela.
Igama elithi Gigantopithecus lithatyathwe kwi-giganto, elithetha "isigebenga", kunye ne-pithecus, elithetha "inkawu". Eli gama libhekisa kwinto yokuba le primate yayinokuba lihlumelo lendaleko leenkawu ezihlala eAfrika nakuMzantsi-mpuma Asia.
Namhlanje, i-Gigantopithecus iye yahlala ibubungqina obuphikisanayo be-Bigfoot! Nangona igama lingacacanga, ubungqina befosili bale prehistoric primate buyamangalisa ngokwenene!
