Panda's Meat-Eating Past: From Europe to China's Bamboo Groves

During my research on the fossils of an ancient panda relation at the forge location in Allgäu Germany , scientists found that these ancient bears had a significantly more varied diet compared to their bamboo-eating ancestors.

The species, Kretzoiarctos beatrix Considered the earliest known precursor to today’s giant panda, this ancient bear lived approximately 11.5 million years ago. During that time, it inhabited vast areas across Europe and certain parts of Eurasia, regions vastly different from the bamboo-filled woods of contemporary China where pandas reside now.

Madjeline Böhme from the University of Tübingen, Germany, who is also an author of the study, stated that 'the shift of pandas towards adapting to a bamboo-dominated diet along with various plants occurred quite recently.' 5.180.24.3 When we consider pandas as bamboo-eaters, it might be somewhat deceptive since they have only been consuming bamboo for about 10 million years, along with very few types of plants.

The discoveries, detailed in the journal Papers in Paleontology , reveal that Kretzoiarctos beatrix Was smaller than today's brown bears but still had a weight exceeding 100 kilograms (220 pounds). Although its teeth shared certain traits with their plant-eating successors, an intricate examination of both large and small tooth structures indicated a more varied diet.

The research team compared Kretzoiarctos ' teeth with those of various bear species, including brown bears, polar bears, and both extinct and living giant pandas.

Their verdict? The ancient panda was not strictly a tough plant eater nor a complete meat-eater.

On a larger scale, the form of its teeth—which were adapted for handling numerous kinds of food—offered insights into its overall dietary habits. On a smaller scale, the existence of scratches and indentations on the tooth surfaces, resulting from interaction with items such as bones, indicated a varied eating behavior consistent with an omnivore’s lifestyle.

"These findings are crucial for our comprehension of bear evolution and the emergence of veganism in giant pandas," Böhme stated in a release. Kretzoiarctos Beatrix The eldest giant pandas were thus considered generalists. Dietary specialization in these pandas emerged relatively late in their evolutionary history."

The finding was discovered at the Hammerschmiede location, which achieved recognition in 2019 due to uncovering fossils of Danuvius guggenmosi , one of the earliest known upright-walking apes. This location has subsequently exposed an astounding variety of 166 different fossil animal species, illustrating a bustling ecological community from 11.5 million years past.

"We discovered an astounding variety of 28 carnivores at the location; such biodiversity is rarely seen in even the most diverse tropical ecosystems globally," Böhme stated.

Pinpointing the precise elements of the ancient panda's diet proves more difficult compared to establishing if they ingested meat. “Speculating about what the creature might have eaten is quite uncertain; while we know their diet encompassed flesh and bone, pinpointing specific types remains elusive.”

According to the researchers, potentialmenu optionsforanancientpandamighthaveencompassedsmallmammalssuchasrodents,fish,andpotentiallyturtles.

Nevertheless, no fossilized bones from these pandas have been found at Hammerschmide, keeping many details about their appearance shrouded in secrecy. It is evident though that climate shifts ultimately compelled these ancient pandas to move towards the eastern regions, leading them to evolve into the well-known, bamboo-dependent creatures we recognize presently.

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References

Kargopoulos, N., Abella, J., Daasch, A., Kaiser, T., Kampouridis, P., Lechner, T., and Böhme, M. (2024). The ancient giant panda species Kretzoiarctos beatrix (Carnivora, Ursidae), discovered at the Hammerschmiede site known for hominid remains, offers insights into dietary habits. Papers in Paleontology , 10 (5). https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1588

Kargopoulos, N., Valenciano, A., Abella, J., Morlo, M., Konidaris, G. E., Kampouridis, P., Lechner, T., and Böhme, M. (2024). Carnivorous mammal communities at the Late Miocene hominid site of Hammerschmiede (Bavaria, Germany). Geobios . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2024.02.003

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