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Palaeontology: Prehistoric panda discovered in the Allgäu region
In the ‘Hammerschmiede’ fossil site in the Allgäu region, researchers have discovered bones that they attribute to an early ancestor of today’s pandas. The only bear species discovered there so far, Kretzoiarctos beatrix, is the oldest known relative of the modern giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). The shape and structure of its teeth are similar to those of the Chinese panda.
While today’s giant panda eats only bamboo, the ancient panda ate more like brown bears, eating both plant and animal foods. This finding was made by an international research team from Hamburg, Frankfurt, Madrid and Valencia, led by Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen, who published the study in the journal Papers in Paleontology.
The investigation of the finds from the pit in Pforzen (Ostallgäu district) shows that the prehistoric panda had a mixed diet. ‘These findings are crucial for our understanding of the evolution of bears and the development of the plant-based diet of giant pandas,’ explains Böhme. ‘Kretzoiarctos beatrix was a generalist. Only later during evolution did the pandas specialise in a plant-based diet.’ The original panda was smaller than modern brown bears, but weighed over 100 kilograms. ‘Although today’s giant pandas belong to the carnivore group, they feed exclusively on plants and have specialised in hard plant foods, especially bamboo,’ adds lead author Nikolaos Kargopoulos.
In addition to the panda remains, 27 other predator species were discovered in the pit, as the researchers report in the scientific journal Geobios. ‘There are hardly any modern habitats with such a comparable diversity of species,’ says Böhme. This diversity indicates that the ecosystem of the time functioned well. Some species even lived side by side, although they occupied similar ecological niches.
The remains of prehistoric pandas had already been found in Spain. Scientists have been researching the ‘hammer mill’ since 2011 and have discovered thousands of fossils and numerous plant species. Particularly outstanding was the discovery of ‘Udo’ (Danuvius guggenmosi) in 2019, an ape that lived around 11.6 million years ago and raised important questions about the development of the upright gait.
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