Ancient pandas were omnivores for millions of years before switching to a vegan diet in Asia, a new study reveals.
While studying fossils of an ancient panda relative at the Hammerschmiede site in Allgäu, Germany, researchers discovered that these early bears had a much more diverse diet than their bamboo-loving descendants.The species, Kretzoiarctos beatrix, is considered the oldest known ancestor of the modern giant panda. Around 11.5 million years ago, this bear roamed widely across Europe and parts of Eurasia, far from the bamboo forests of present-day China, where pandas now live.
'Kretzoiarctos Beatrix, the oldest giant pandas, were therefore generalists. Specialization in the diet of the pandas only occurred late in their evolution.'The discovery was made at the Hammerschmiede site, which gained fame in 2019 for yielding fossils of Danuvius guggenmosi, an early upright-walking ape. The site has since revealed an extraordinary diversity of 166 fossil animal species, painting a picture of a thriving ecosystem 11.5 million years ago.
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