In the ‘Hammerschmiede’ clay pit in Allgäu, Germany, researchers have discovered the remains of an ancestral relative of today’s panda. The only bear species found there so far, called Kretzoiarctos beatrix, is considered the oldest relative of the modern giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).
The shape and form of its teeth are similar to those of the Chinese bear. This is known to feed exclusively on bamboo.
The original panda ate a mixed diet
In contrast, the original panda’s diet more closely resembled the mixed plant-animal diet of today’s brown bears. This is reported by an international research team from Hamburg, Frankfurt, Madrid and Valencia led by Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen in the journal “Papers in Paleontology”.
The ancient panda was smaller than modern brown bears, but weighed more than 100 kilograms. “Today’s giant pandas are carnivores in zoological classification. In fact, they only feed on plants. “They specialize in hard plant foods, especially bamboo,” reports lead author Nikolaos Kargopoulos.
The diet of the well bear in Pforzen (Ostallgäu district) contained both vegetable and animal components. “These results are important for our understanding of bear evolution and the development of veganism in giant pandas,” says Böhme. “Kretzoirctos beatrix, the oldest giant pandas, were therefore generalists. Specialization in pandas’ diets occurred late in their evolution.”
27 additional predator species found
In addition to the panda, another 27 species of predators were found in the den, the researchers report in the journal ‘Geobios’. “There is hardly any modern habitat with a comparable number of species,” says Böhme. This diversity shows that the ecosystem must have functioned very well. According to the researcher, there are even species that coexist despite occupying very similar niches. Ancient panda remains have previously been discovered in Spain, among other places.
Scientists have been conducting research in the Swabian city since 2011. Thousands of fossil remains and dozens of plant species have been found. The discovery of fossil remains of the great ape “Udo” (Danuvius guggenmosi) was striking, which questioned assumptions about the development of upright walking.
Source: Krone
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