Scientists studying bones unearthed from an ancient tomb in China’s Shaanxi Province have discovered the remains of a new but totally extinct species of ape.
The experts, who were led by the Zoological Society of London, made the incredible find in a 2,300-year-old burial chamber. The tomb may have belonged to Lady Xia, the grandmother of China’s first emperor Qin Shihuang, who oversaw the construction of the Great Wall of China and the famous Terracotta Army.
When the tomb was excavated in 2004 a number of animal remains, which included gibbon bones, were unearthed from 12 burial pits. By harnessing computer modelling, scientists were able to identify a new genus and species of gibbon. Named Junzi imperialis, records indicate that the gibbon probably survived until less than 300 years ago.