JD Adams of Salem-News.com writes an article titled, "The Enigma of the Giants" Although, Gigantopitecus is mentioned, Adams goes beyond the familiar Giganto-theory and speaks about Giant Humans. Below is a great introduction to the article followed by a link to the whole thing.
Every form of life has had its giant stage in evolution. During the Carboniferous period, the Meganeura, resembling a dragonfly, grew to have a wingspan of 30 inches. The Pulmonoscorpius, an early scorpion, were one meter in length. A giant crocodile, the Sarcosuchus, lived during the Cretaceous period, and were 40 ft. in length and weighed over 8 tons. The Titanoboa, the largest snake that ever lived, reigned during the Paleocene epoch, and was up to 50 ft. long and 2,500 lbs in weight.
The Megalodon, an ancient shark of the Cenozioc era, was one the largest predators in vertebrate history. Lacking a complete skeleton, estimates of its size range from 67 to 82 ft. in length, and a body mass of approximately 100 tons. Then we have the Pleistocene Megafauna which included larger versions of most modern species, like the saber-tooth cat known as Smilodon populator, which weighed 1000 lbs. and had 12 in. canine teeth. These huge specimens were the result of favorable conditions such as plentiful habitat and prey, and a different mixture of atmospheric gases, at one time being 35%, oxygen, versus the 22% of today. The interaction of developing species, including ecological niches which were yet to be filled, also played a part.
So, why not giant humans? The Meganthropus, or Giant Java Man, was an inhabitant of Southeast Asia, slightly smaller than the Gigantopithecus of China, but still huge at an estimated 8 ft. in height. It's stature has been inferred from jaw and skull reconstruction. The Meganthropus skull has a double sagittal crest (running front to back along the top) which distinguishes it from the Homo erectus that some believe it is descended from. The crest is an indication of powerful jaw muscles. The actual size and lineage of Meganthropus is the subject of much debate, and it is considered a possible predecessor to Bigfoot by Cryptozoologists.
If ever there was a species worthy of the giant label, it is Gigantopithecus. Fossil remains suggest a height of 10 to 13 ft. Whether the species was a hominid or more ape-like is a point of serious contention, but it appears that mainstream anthropologists are simply fearful of disrupting the house of cards that is accepted dogma in human evolution and geologic history. The Gigantopithecus molars which have been discovered are distinctly hominid in appearance, and the brain case is actually larger than modern man.
EXTERNAL LINKS
Salem-News: The Enigma of the Giants
There Were Giants in Those Days
Cryptomundo's Post about True Giants
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Previous article by JD Adams we reviewed The Mysteries of the Pleistocene; Bigfoot, Clovis and Missing Major Fauna
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Intriguing. I was wondering about that because recently I kept running into old articles I had seen in the past but ignored about graves found around the world with giant skeletons of what they believe were tall humans. Makes one wonder.
ReplyDeleteTo help people understand this all in a much simpler way, just think... perhaps Heidelbergensis never did go extinct the way "experts" may believe. We know for a fact one was killed in 1925. Or yes, it could be Gigantopithecus still around.
ReplyDelete