Gigantopithecus (from the
Ancient Greek "giant", and "ape") is an
extinct genus of
ape that existed from perhaps nine million years to as recently as one hundred thousand years ago, in what is now
China,
India, and
Vietnam, placing
Gigantopithecus in the same time frame and geographical location as several
hominin species. The
fossil record suggests that individuals of the species
Gigantopithecus blacki were the largest known apes that ever lived, standing up to , and weighing up to .