I-Gigantopithecus, ebizwa ngokuthi "i-ape enkulu", ibe yisihloko sempikiswano nokuqagela phakathi kososayensi kanye nabathandi be-Bigfoot ngokufanayo. Le primate yangaphambi komlando, eyayihlala eNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia eminyakeni engaphezu kwesigidi edlule, kukholakala ukuthi yayimi ngamamitha angu-10 ubude futhi inesisindo esingaphezu kwamakhilogremu angu-1,200. Abanye abacwaningi bacabanga ukuthi i-Gigantopithecus ingaba isixhumanisi esingekho phakathi kwezimfene nabantu, kanti abanye bakholelwa ukuthi kungaba ukhokho wokuziphendukela kwemvelo we-Bigfoot yodumo. Naphezu kobufakazi obuncane bezinsalela ezitholakalayo, abantu abaningi emhlabeni jikelele bayaqhubeka nokubika ukubonwa kwezidalwa ezinkulu, ezinoboya, ezinezinhlangothi ezimbili ezifana nezincazelo ze-Bigfoot. Ingabe lokhu okubonayo kungaba ubufakazi be-Gigantopithecus ephilayo?
I-Gigantopithecus iwuhlobo olungasekho lwenkawu olwalukhona muva nje eminyakeni eyi-100,000 edlule. Izinsalela zezidalwa ziye zembulwa eChina, eNdiya naseVietnam. Lezi zinhlobo zazihlala endaweni efanayo namanye ama-hominin ambalwa, kodwa ayemakhulu kakhulu ngosayizi womzimba. Amarekhodi ezinsalela asikisela lokho IGigantopithecus blacki lafinyelela ubukhulu bamamitha angu-3 (9.8 ft), futhi linesisindo esingafika kumakhilogremu angu-540 (1,200 lb), esilingana nesegorilla yosuku lwanamuhla.
Ngo-1935, izinsalela zokuqala ezisemthethweni ze-Gigantopithecus zatholwa isazi se-paleontologist esidumile kanye nesazi sokuma komhlaba okuthiwa uGustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald lapho ethola iqoqo lamathambo namazinyo endaweni. i-apothecary isitolo eChina. U-Ralph von Koenigswald wathola ukuthi inani elikhulu lezidalwa amazinyo namathambo ayesetshenziswa emithini yasendulo yamaShayina.
Izinsalela ze-Gigantopithecus zitholakala ngokuyinhloko engxenyeni eseningizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia. Ngo-1955, amashumi amane nesikhombisa IGigantopithecus blacki amazinyo atholakala phakathi komthwalo “wamathambo kadrako” eChina. Iziphathimandla zalandelela ukuthunyelwa emuva emthonjeni owawuneqoqo elikhulu lamazinyo e-Gigantopithecus namathambo omhlathi. Ngo-1958, ama-mandibles amathathu (imihlathi engezansi) namazinyo angaphezu kuka-1,300 esidalwa ayesetholakele. Akuzona zonke izinsalela ezibhalwe ngesikhathi esifanayo futhi kunezinhlobo ezintathu (ezingasekho) eziqanjwe igama le-Gigantopithecus.
Imihlathi ye-Gigantopithecus ijulile futhi iminyene. Ama-molars ayisicaba futhi abonisa ikhono lokugaya okunzima. Amazinyo futhi anenqwaba yemigodi, efana nama-pandas amakhulu, ngakho-ke kucatshangwa ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi adle uqalo. Ukuhlolwa kokuklwebheka okuncane nezinsalela zezitshalo ezitholwe kumazinyo e-Gigantopithecus kuphakamise ukuthi izidalwa zidle imbewu, imifino, izithelo, noqalo.
Zonke izici ezivezwe yi-Gigantopithecus zenze ukuthi ezinye ze-cryptozoologists ziqhathanise isidalwa ne-Sasquatch. Omunye walaba bantu nguGrover Krantz, owayekholelwa ukuthi uBigfoot wayeyilungu eliphilayo leGigantopithecus. UKrantz wayekholelwa ukuthi inani lezidalwa lalingakwazi ukuthuthela ngaphesheya kwebhuloho laseBering, kamuva elasetshenziswa abantu ukungena eNyakatho Melika.
Ekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-20, kwakucatshangwa ukuthi IGigantopithecus blacki wayengukhokho wabantu, ngenxa yobufakazi be-molar, kodwa lo mbono uye wachithwa. Namuhla, umqondo wokuguquguquka kwemvelo usetshenziselwe ukuchaza ukufana kwe-molar. Ngokusemthethweni, IGigantopithecus blacki ibekwe emndenini omncane I-Ponginae kanye ne I-Orang-utan. Kodwa lo mdondoshiya wangaphambi komlando washabalala kanjani?
Ngesikhathi uGigantopithecus ehlala, AmaPanda amakhulu futhi Homo erectus ekugcineni wayehlala nabo endaweni eyodwa. Kucatshangelwa ukuthi njengoba iPandas kanye neGigantopithecus bedinga inani elikhulu lokudla okufanayo, baqhudelana bodwa, i-panda iphuma ngokunqoba. Futhi, i-Gigantopithecus yaphela ngesikhathi Homo erectus ekugcineni baqale ukuthuthela kuleso sifunda. Lokho cishe kwakungaqondanga.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingu-1 edlule, isimo sezulu siqala ukushintsha futhi izindawo ezinamahlathi zashintsha zaba i-savannah efana nezwe, okwenza kube nzima ngenkawu enkulu ukuthola ukudla. Ukudla kwakubaluleke kakhulu ku-Gigantopithecus. Njengoba zazinomzimba omkhulu, zazinemetabolism ephakeme futhi ngaleyo ndlela zife kalula kunezinye izilwane lapho ukudla kungenakho okwanele.
Sengiphetha, akukacaci ukuthi ngabe i-Bigfoot ikhona yini njengesidalwa esiye saba khona amakhulu eminyaka, noma ngabe iyinganekwane yesimanje esukela ezikhathini zama-Victorian. Kodwa-ke, okusobala ukuthi i-Bigfoot ne-Gigantopithecus zikhona njengezimo zebhayoloji ezingakatholwa isayensi.
I-Gigantopithecus igama elibhekisela ku-primate enkulu eyayikhona eNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia ngesikhathi I-Paleolithic ephansi. Ungase ucabange ukuthi zonke izinhlobo zezinkawu ezingasekho zazizinkulu, kodwa uzomangala ukwazi ukuthi i-Gigantopithecus kukholakala ukuthi yayinkulu kakhulu kunanoma iyiphi enye imfene eyake yaphila emhlabeni, kuhlanganise ne-Orang-utan! Ngenxa yobukhulu balezi zilwane, zaziyihlumela lokuziphendukela kwemvelo lezinkawu zokhokho.
Ubufakazi bezinsalela ezikhona bubonisa ukuthi i-Gigantopithecus yayingeyona inkawu ephumelela ngokukhethekile. Akuqondakali ukuthi kungani kukholakala ukuthi yashabalala, kodwa kungenzeka ukuthi lokhu kwakungenxa yomncintiswano eyayibhekene nawo wezilwane ezinkulu nezinolaka.
Igama elithi Gigantopithecus lisuselwa ku-giganto, okusho ukuthi "umdondoshiya", kanye ne-pithecus, okusho ukuthi "inkawu". Leli gama libhekisela eqinisweni lokuthi le primate cishe yayiyihlumela lokuziphendukela kwemvelo lezinkawu ezihlala e-Afrika naseNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia.
Namuhla, i-Gigantopithecus isalokhu iwubufakazi obuyimpikiswano bangaphambili be-Bigfoot! Nakuba igama lingacacile, ubufakazi bezinsalela zale primate yangaphambi komlando buyamangalisa ngempela!
