Tag Archive for 'Ailuropoda melanoleuca'

Giant panda cub Xiao Liwu and his mother Bai Yun at the San Diego Zoo.

Bamboo-Derived microRNAs May Be behind Giant Pandas’ Plant-Based Diet

Feb 28, 2025 by News Staff

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) belong to the order Carnivora, but they mainly feed on bamboo, and their unique dietary adaptability has always been...

Qi Zai, the only brown panda living in captivity. Image credit: Ailie HM / CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed.

Scientists Solve Mystery of Brown Giant Pandas

Mar 6, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Brown-and-white giant pandas are distinct coat color mutants found exclusively in the Qinling Mountains of China. Qi Zai, the only brown panda living in...

A male giant panda named Xiao Liwu at San Diego Zoo, California, the United States. Image credit: Sci.News.

All Bears are Omnivores Like Humans, New Study Suggests

Oct 3, 2022 by News Staff

New research on the diets of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) adds evidence that bears are low-protein macronutrient...

Miocene-Period Giant Panda Already Had Enigmatic Extra ‘Thumb’

Jun 30, 2022 by News Staff

Of the many peculiarities that enable the modern giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) to adapt to life as a bamboo eater, its extra ‘thumb’ is the...

A male giant panda named Xiao Liwu at San Diego Zoo, California, the United States. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Giant Pandas Gain More Weight when Eating Bamboo Shoots: Study

Jan 20, 2022 by News Staff

Shifts in the gut microbiota of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in the season when nutritious bamboo shoots become available helps the herbivorous...

Giant panda Xiao Liwu at the San Diego Zoo.

Giant Panda’s Unique Black-And-White Coat Provides Effective Camouflage, New Research Confirms

Oct 28, 2021 by News Staff

While most mammals are drab browns and grays, there are a small number of well-known and intriguing exceptions. Perhaps the most famous of all is the giant...

A special feature in the feeding behavior of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), related to eating bamboo, is the habit to skim the outer green skin of the hard bamboo culm; although the feeding preferences have a seasonal shift, the culm is consumed and skinned during all the year; while eating culm, the outer skin is removed for reasons which until now have remained poorly understood. This image shows a male giant panda named Xiao Liwu at San Diego Zoo. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

New Research Sheds Light on Giant Panda’s Adaptation to Bamboo Diet

Jul 12, 2021 by News Staff

The evolutionary adaptation of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) to bamboo diet has taken place by adaptations in its masticatory (chewing) system,...

Beta-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide-induced horse manure rolling behavior of Ginny, the giant panda at Beijing Zoo. Image credit: Zhou et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2004640117.

Wild Giant Pandas Roll in Horse Manure to Increase Cold Tolerance

Dec 9, 2020 by News Staff

Wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) not only frequently sniff and wallow in fresh horse manure at low ambient temperatures, but also actively rub...

Study: Giant Pandas are ‘Macronutritional Carnivores’

May 3, 2019 by News Staff

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) feed almost exclusively on highly fibrous bamboo, yet they bear a mix of herbivore and carnivore traits. A new study...

Han et al compare stable isotope ratios from the bones and teeth of extant and extinct pandas and show that their trophic niches are distinctly different, although both species had a C3-dominated diet over time and space. The results indicate that ancient pandas possibly had more complex diets and habitats than do their modern counterparts. This image shows a male giant panda named Xiao Liwu at San Diego Zoo. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Ancient Giant Pandas Had More Complex Diet than Do Their Modern Counterparts: Study

Feb 1, 2019 by News Staff

Today, giant pandas are represented by one iconic species, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, and they live only in the understory of particular mountains in southwestern...

Giant pandas are found in the mountains of central China in dense bamboo and coniferous forests at altitudes of 5,000 to 10,000 feet (1,500-3,000 m). Image credit: Chester Ho.

Mitochondrial DNA of 22,000-Year-Old Giant Panda Reveals Long-Lost Lineage

Jun 20, 2018 by News Staff

A research team led by scientists at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has analyzed mitochondrial...