Q: Who are the direct ancestors of giant pandas?
A: Ailurarctos lufengensis.
Q: How old is the giant panda species?
A: Judging from the current fossil record, Ailurarctos lufengensis has a history of more than 8 million years.
Q: What does Ailuropoda melanoleuca baconi, look like?
A: Judging from the fossil records, the evolution of the giant panda's body size is from small to large, and then small again. Throughout panda’s evolution, Ailuropoda melanoleuca baconi has the largest body size. It is 1/9 to 1/8 larger with other characteristics similar to the living giant panda .
Q: When was the giant panda family most prosperous?
A: In the middle and late Pleistocene.
Q: What is the first book to record giant pandas?
A: Among the ancient Chinese books, the earliest records of giant pandas are found in Shangshu and Book of Songs. They are about 3,000 years old.
Q: Throughout China’s history, what were the names for the giant pandas?
A: During the Yellow Emperor period, giant pandas were called Pixiu; during the Warring States Period, they were called Mo White Panther and Shi Tieshou (Iron-eating Beast); during the Three Kingdoms period, they were called Pixiu during the Western Jin Dynasty, they were called Zouyu; during the Tang Dynasty, they were called Bai Xiong (White Bear); during the Ming Dynasty, they were called Mo.
Q: What is the historical distribution of giant pandas?
A: During the Pleistocene period, giant pandas entered its prosperous era and were widely distributed in most parts of China. Their existence spread northward to the Zhoukoudian area of Beijing. In addition, they were also distributed in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand in Southeast Asia.
Q: Why are giant pandas known as "living fossils"?
A: Judging from the excavations so far, the distribution of giant panda fossils spans 14 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, with a total of 48 sites. Its geological age belongs to the middle and late Pleistocene. Giant panda was a widely distributed species at that time. Together with other animals, it formed a distinctive animal group, which paleontologists called the "giant panda saber-toothed fauna". It shows that the giant panda was in a dominant position at that time, and the population was prosperous. Ever since then, due to the great changes in the natural environment and climatic conditions, many species in the same period became extinct one after another, being unable to adapt to these changes, and were later only found in fossils. The giant pandas have lived tenaciously after a long-term survival competition. They are the precious property left by nature to us human beings, that's why they are called "living fossils".
Q: Which order do giant pandas belong to in zoological taxonomy?
A: The debate on the taxonomic status of giant pandas has been going on for more than 130 years, and it is still going on among modern taxonomists. Some scholars believe that giant pandas belong to the raccoon family or the giant panda subfamily. Most scholars believe that giant pandas are still close to bear family, but with some differences. Therefore, today, the most recognized classification for giant panda is: giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), belonging to the giant panda subfamily (Ailuropodidae), under the family of Ursidae, order of CARNIVORA.
Q: Where are the giant pandas now?
A: Giant pandas are now distributed in the deep valleys of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi, the Minshan Mountains in Sichuan and Gansu, and in the deep valleys of the Qionglai Mountains, Daxiangling Mountains, Xiaoxiangling Mountains and Liangshan Mountains in Sichuan.
Q: What altitude range do wild giant pandas live in?
A: The wild giant pandas’ activities is mainly found in the altitude between 2,000 and 3,700 meters. Affected by human activities, the giant pandas are rare below the altitude of 1,300 meters. Some giant panda’s activity reaches the altitude between 3,200-3,700 meters, with the highest record reaching 4,000 meters under special circumstances like long distance travel or migration.
