近日，国际杂志《国际第四纪》Quaternary International发表了中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所赵凌霞和张立召的研究论文“New fossil evidence and diet analysis of Gigantopithecus blacki and its distribution and extinction in South China，“，巨猿的系统演化和绝灭问题仍然存在谜团有待深究。新化石的发现和深入研究为解开巨猿之谜将提供证据。文章报道了贵州新发现的巨猿化石，并结合巨猿牙齿特性、食性分析、第四纪气候环境变化等资料，分析探讨了巨猿在华南地区的地史分布和绝灭问题。
新发现的5枚巨猿牙齿化石出自贵州西部高原地区。化石点位于毕节市何官屯镇扒耳岩采石场（图1），地理坐标27°22′12″N， 105°15′16″E，海拔高度约1630米，是华南目前发现的海拔最高的巨猿化石点，为研究巨猿的地史分布、演化变迁和绝灭问题赠加了重要依据。
丰富多样的大哺乳动物化石常与巨猿化石相伴。在毕节扒耳岩化石点发现的大哺乳动物化石，初步鉴定有20多个类种，其中含有华南动物群早更新世早期的典型代表种类，如小种大熊猫、桑氏鬣狗、山原貘、拟豺、爪兽、最后双尖齿猪等，据此判断贵州毕节扒耳岩巨猿时代应为早更新世早期，与广西柳城巨猿洞和重庆巫山龙骨坡巨猿的时代相近。
根据目前已发现的巨猿化石记录，更新世早期巨猿分布范围较为广阔，在广西、贵州、鄂西-三峡地区都有发现，但到早更新世晚期至中更新世，巨猿的分布范围明显向南退缩，主要局限于广西地区，此外在海南和越南也有零星发现，到晚更新世巨猿似乎已经绝迹，迄今尚未发现晚更新世的巨猿化石。作者综合多项资料分析认为，巨猿分布范围逐渐退缩并走向绝灭，与第四纪气候环境变化密切关联，同时受到巨猿自身生物适应性的限制，以及来自人类活动扩张的生存挤压。
本项工作得到国家自然科学基金、现代古生物学和地层学国家重点实验室开放基金和科技基础性工作专项资助。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2011.12.016
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New fossil evidence and diet analysis of Gigantopithecus blacki and its distribution and extinction in South China
L.X. Zhaoa, b, , , L.Z. Zhanga, b
The present paper reports the recently discovered fossil teeth of Early Pleistocene Gigantopithecus blacki and associated mammalian fauna from Baeryan Cave, Bijie County in Guizhou Province, and also reviews briefly the known fossil sites of Gigantopithecus in south China of Pleistocene. In Early Pleistocene, Gigantopithecus had a wider distribution, but withdrew southward in Middle Pleistocene to a limited area mainly in South China, and it disappeared in the Late Pleistocene according to the present fossil records. Diet and habitat analysis from carbon isotope evidence is used to investigate the reasons for the extinction of Gigantopithecus, which fed on a pure C3 diet and lived in a forest habitat. It was clearly different from early hominins in South and East Africa, such as Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus and Paranthropus boisei, which had C4 diets. The extinction of Gigantopithecus was also related to the great changes of climate and environment of the Pleistocene, especially the last one million years, during which Homo became more and more prosperous and exerted great pressure on G. blacki.
