Pongo weidenreichi, the Chinese orangutan, is an extinct species of orangutan from the Pleistocene of South China and possibly Southeast Asia. It is known from fossil teeth found in Sanhe Cave and in the Baikong, Juyuan and Queque Caves in Chongzuo, Guangxi, and its dental dimensions are about 20 percent bigger than those of living orangutans. The youngest remains, from Yincun Cave in Guangxi, date to between 66,000 and 57,000 years ago. An isolated canine from a cave in Vietnam and a premolar from Pha Bong in Thailand might belong to it, although they could also represent Gigantopithecus. A 2025 study by Liang and colleagues reports that in southern China it was ecologically replaced by a smaller orangutan, Pongo devosi, by about 184,000 years ago. Dental microwear shows that it lived in forests and mainly ate soft fruit.
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Source Pongo weidenreichi (Wikipedia)
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Source Pongo weidenreichi (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
extinct species of orangutan from the Pleistocene of South China
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1. Pongo weidenreichi (Wikipedia)
Size
The dental dimensions of P. weidenreichi are approximately 20% bigger than those of living orangutans
Lead
is an extinct species of orangutan from the Pleistocene of South China
Diet
predominantly consumed soft fruits
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