Giant pandas and the distantly related red pandas may have independently evolved an extra ‘digit’—a false thumb—through changes to the same genes. The two species share a common ancestor ...

Giant pandas and the distantly related red pandas may have independently evolved an extra ‘digit’ — a false thumb — through changes to the same genes. The two species share a common ...

The modern panda’s false thumb has some advantages over the earlier version. The hand bones of the modern giant panda. Illustration: Natural History Museum of LA County/Handout via Reuters ...

Think of the false thumb as being stepped on every time the panda walks. And therefore, we think that is the reason that the false thumb in modern pandas has become shorter, not longer," Wang said.

Modern panda pseudothumbs, which end in a flat surface and are cushioned by a fleshy pad, are slightly better adapted to carry the panda’s girth. Any larger digit could get crushed. Not every ...

Giant pandas are notoriously fussy eaters. They only munch on bamboo and each day spend 15 hours eating up to 99 pounds (45 kilograms) of the stuff. But their ancestors, like most bears, ate a ...

Earliest giant panda false thumb suggests conflicting demands for locomotion and feeding. Scientific Reports , 2022; 12 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13402-y Cite This Page : ...

Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103 (2), 379-382 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0504899102 ...

The red panda’s thumb turns out to be a striking exaptation–a tool for grasping branches that was turned into a tool for eating plants. It’s an exaptation we humans can certainly appreciate.

And like living red pandas, it had a thumb made out of a sesamoid bone. But its jaws, teeth, and other traits were not the sort you find in plant-eating mammals. Instead, it hunted or scavenged prey.

The giant panda is a species of bear that is found in the mountains of central and western China. One of the most popular and ...