Monumental discovery of new gibbon species in 2,000-year-old Chinese tomb

在2000年的中國古墓中發現新長臂猿物種

Bones of extinct ape species discovered in the tomb of Lady Xia, grandmother to the first emperor of China


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A new species and genus of gibbon was discovered in Lady Xia's tomb, the grandmother to the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, in Shaanxi, China, and the remains may be evidence of the first ape species to have gone extinct due to human influence.

A team of eight researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) published a paper in Science magazine, titled "New genus of extinct Holocene gibbon associated with humans in Imperial China," on June 22 introducing Junzi imperialis, or imperial gibbons, explaining the importance of the find.

The tomb was first excavated in 2004, though Samuel Turvey, one of the paper's authors, honed in on the primate bones in 2011. The imperial gibbons was found in the tomb among the remains of leopards, lynx, black bears, and other domestic animals, according to Science.

Analysis of the gibbon bones shows that the found remains are very unique to contemporary gibbons, suggesting a new genus and species. Several key features vary from present-day gibbons, notably the much larger teeth.

What's more the bones greatly contribute to a better understanding of how humans participated in primate extinctions, a phenomenon often lamented by scientists for being poorly evidenced.

Gibbons do still exist in China, however they are gravely extinct. The research team concludes that this species of gibbons lived in China 2,000 years ago until the 1800's when human urbanization and meddling likely caused the species to disappear altogether, said National Geographic.