Oldest fossil of giant panda family discovered

Oldest fossil of giant panda family discovered
Dentognathic material of Kretzoiarctos gen. nov. beatrix Credit: Citation: Abella J, Alba DM, Robles JM, Valenciano A, Rotgers C, et al. (2012) Kretzoiarctos gen. nov., the Oldest Member of the Giant Panda Clade. PLoS ONE, 7(11): e48985. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048985

New fossils found in Spain are thought to be of the oldest recorded ancestor of the giant panda.

The fossils reveal the origins of this unique bear, as described in a paper published November 14 in the open access journal by Juan Abella and colleagues from the National Museum of Natural Sciences and the Catalan Institute of Paleontology, Spain.

The two 11.6 million year old fossil jaws and teeth were discovered in southwest Europe and represent a new genus likely to be the oldest known members of the giant panda family. The fossils bear the characteristics of a bear adapted to eating tough plant material like bamboo. The giant panda, native to certain parts of China, is the only living member of this unique bear family with these dietary habits.

Corresponding author Juan Abella adds "The new genus we describe in this paper is not only the first bear recorded in the , but also the first of the 's lineage."

More information: Abella J, Alba DM, Robles JM, Valenciano A, Rotgers C, et al. (2012) Kretzoiarctos gen. nov., the Oldest Member of the Giant Panda Clade. PLoS ONE 7(11): e48985. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0048985

Journal information: PLoS ONE

Citation: Oldest fossil of giant panda family discovered (2012, November 14) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2012-11-oldest-fossil-giant-panda-family.html
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