Tag Archive for 'Bamboo'

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...

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...

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,...

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 Panda’s Gut Microbiota Not Well Adapted to Bamboo Diet, Say Scientists

May 20, 2015 by News Staff

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) actually harbor carnivore-like gut microbiota predominated by bacteria such as Escherichia/Shigella and Streptococcus,...

Oldeania alpina looks like a Phyllostachys species from China, but is very different under the ground and in its branching. It is found on mountains from Cameroon across to Ethiopia (© Chris Stapleton).

Two New Bamboo Genera Found in Africa

Aug 23, 2013 by News Staff

Biologist Dr Chris Stapleton from the United Kingdom has described two new genera of African mountain bamboos. Oldeania alpina looks like a Phyllostachys...