A reconstruction of the extinct giant ape Gigantopithecus blacki is seen in this illustration released on November 13, 2019. — Ikumi Kayama/Studio Kayama LLC handout via Reuters

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 — Genetic material extracted from a 1.9 million-year-old fossil tooth from southern China shows that the world's largest-known ape — an extinct creature dubbed “Giganto” that once inhabited South-east Asia — was an oversized cousin of today's orangutans.