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Study Reveals Giant Pandas Weren't Always Herbivorous, Their Ancestors Had a Mixed Diet

Researchers are trying to understand how the species moved from being omnivorous to having an extreme plant-based diet.
PUBLISHED JAN 29, 2025
A giant panda relaxing on a log outdoors (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Photo by pandamemes snow)
A giant panda relaxing on a log outdoors (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Photo by pandamemes snow)

In 2024, the Hammerschmiede fossil site in southern Germany yielded some findings that raised questions on assertions held by experts regarding the panda's evolutionary trajectory. Panda's main diet primarily involves bamboo and they are identified as herbivorous, the University of Tübingen stated. The fossils at the site indicated that this was not always the case. Analysis done on many of the 11.5 million-year-old fossils showcases, that these creatures were omnivorous back in the day. 

Adorable Giant Panda in Natural Habitat (Representative Image Source: Pexels/Photo by pandamemes snow)
A Giant Panda in Natural Habitat (Representative Image Source: Pexels/Photo by pandamemes snow)

Experts found remains of a bear species at the site, which was quickly categorized as an ancient relative of the giant panda. This species has been named Kretzoiarctos beatrix, and its association with giant pandas was identified by looking into the shape and composition of its teeth. The similar dental features did not surprise researchers because giant pandas have already been identified to carry multiple carnivorous features.

"Today's giant pandas are part of the group of carnivores in the zoological taxonomy, but in fact, they live exclusively on plants. They've specialized in a hard vegetable diet, specifically of bamboo," said Dr. Nikolaos Kargopoulos from the University of Tübingen and the University of Cape Town, stated Phys.org. Their ancestor though did not indulge only in plants, as per examinations.

The ancestors weighed more than 100 kilograms but were still smaller in size than brown bears. Researchers are keen to look more into the diet of K. Beatrix to understand how the species moved from being omnivorous to having such an extreme plant-based diet. A study led by Kargopoulos focuses on this aspect. The team conducted the macro and micromorphology of this ancestor's teeth to gain a deeper understanding of their diet. They analyzed the garnered data and compared it with creatures like brown bears, polar bears, and South American spectacled bears, as well as present and extinct varieties of giant pandas. 

Dental Analysis of fossil found in Hammerschmiede (Image Source: Paper in Paleontology)
Dental analysis of fossil found in Hammerschmiede (Image Source: Paper in Palaeontology)

The results implied that K. Beatrix's wasn't dependent on hard plants like modern giant pandas nor was it completely flesh-oriented like polar bears. Their diet was close to brown bears who eat both plants and animals. "These results are important to our understanding of the evolution of bears and the development of herbivory in giant pandas. It turns out that Kretzoiarctos beatrix, the oldest of the pandas was a generalist. Specialization in the panda's diet only came about late in its evolution," said Professor Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen.

Another study led by Kargopoulos focuses on the site where remains of Kretzoiarctos beatrix were found, Hammerschmiede. Researchers located 27 predator species at the site. Despite huge differences in size and habitat choices, all of them lived comfortably in the same ecosystem, as per experts. "Their respective primary sources of food were very varied: There were pure carnivores such as the saber-tooth tiger, fish-eaters like the otter, and bone-eaters such as the hyaena. A few other species like the panda and the marten fed opportunistically on plants and animals of various sizes," Kargopoulos said. "The otter-like animals were good swimmers; bears, hyaenas, and others stayed on the land or lived in burrows like the skunks. A strikingly large number of species were tree-climbers like the marten, cat-like animals, genets, and red pandas," he added.



 

The site was intriguing to researchers as having so much variety at a place in terms of fossils is rare. "Such a diverse population of predators is not only extremely rare in fossil terms; there's hardly any modern habitat with a similarly large number of species," said Böhme. Some animals were also identified as having the same dietary requirements, yet no impact on any of their populations was noted. "For example, there are four different otter-like animals of approximately the same size and type of diet. Normally, they would compete for the natural resources in their environment. But it seems that the resources of the Hammerschmiede were rich enough to meet the needs of every species." Böhme claimed. The sheer number of remains collected from the site indicates that the animals were thriving in the ecosystem.

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