Giant panda fossil dating back 10,000 years discovered in a limestone cave in China

In a rare find, a giant panda fossil has been discovered in the Shaanxi Province of China. The fossil dates back over 10,000 years and is in extremely good condition. More than 90 per cent of the skull and 70 per cent of the skeleton are still intact. Researchers say that it is exceedingly rare to find such a well-preserved fossil. The discovery was made 180 metres deep in a limestone cave in Chenggu County, Hanzhong City, where the panda remains sat on a limestone platform.

"This nearly complete skeleton, including the skull, metatarsal bones and vertebrae, is unprecedented in Shaanxi and likely in the entire country," Hu Songmei, a member of the Shaanxi Provincial Paleontological Fossil Expert Committee, said.

Scientists say that the fossil will help them understand about the evolution of giant pandas in the Qinling and Daba Mountains. A total of 33 fossil pieces have been found in the cave.

Local residents in northwest #China’s #Shaanxi province have helped researchers discover a well-preserved giant panda fossil in a cave that dates back at least 10,000 years, the provincial department of natural resources said on Wednesday, August 7. #pandafossil pic.twitter.com/vuE4CYlJzA — Panda Paws (@Panda_Paws_) August 7, 2024

They inspected the skull, teeth and sagittal crest of the fossil to know more about the animal fossil. Upon initial study, experts have determined that the fossil is of an adult female giant panda. It likely lived during the middle to late Pleistocene epoch, that is between 200,000 and 10,000 years ago.

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Further research will be conducted into the fossil by the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Natural Resources. It will try to restore the fossil using the 33 specimens found to learn more about the giant pandas that lived at the time.

About giant pandas

Giant pandas can only be found in China in the six montane regions. The animal leads a solitary life and they come together just during the mating season. It eats mostly bamboo and bamboo shoots and can gorge on nine to 14 kgs of bamboo shoots a day. This is because bamboo shoots don't give a lot of energy or protein. Pandas have been scientifically classified as carnivorous and have the digestive system of a carnivore.

Research has shown that ancient giant pandas were omnivorous seven million years ago and they only became herbivorous around 2.4 million years ago.