Giant Panda Essay
Of the eight species of bears around the world, the Giant Panda is increasingly becoming the most rare. With only about 1000-2000 pandas out in the wild, action has been taken to protect the Giant Panda from extinction. (Smith, 2014). Although very few pandas are alive today the Giant Panda has a very thick evolutionary history. As long ago as 11 million years the first ancestor of the Panda lived.
In 2012, fossils of the pandas earliest ancestry were found in a very surprising place. Although most Giant Pandas came from China these fossils show that the oldest known lineage originated in Spain. (Choi, 2012). This fossil, known as Kretzoiarctos beatrix (K. beatrix), was analyzed to have lived about 11.6 million years ago. An average Giant …show more content…
Most adaptations have helped its specialized diet of bamboo. The jaw muscle is very strong to be able to chew through the hard bamboo. As a result of this, the cranial cavity has grown bigger to house the large jaw muscle. This way they can gnaw on bamboo for long periods of time. They eat 20-40 pounds of bamboo a day. (Smith, 2014). The panda’s teeth are also adapted to eat bamboo. Their molars are smoother and larger than normal bears. It rarely uses its canine teeth because it does not have the need to kill and tear through flesh. The panda not only has five fingers, but it also has a sixth one that acts as an opposable thumb. This allows the panda the ability to hold the bamboo. It also gives it the strength to tear the shoots and leaves. The panda’s whole digestive system is adapted to aid it in the process of digesting bamboo. The lining of the esophagus is reinforced so that the bamboo fibers to not burst through. The stomach also has a tougher lining to help the bamboo be digested. The high cellulose content in the panda’s digestive tract forces the bamboo down in a quick manner. The shortened intestines also allow the panda’s digestion to be faster. Their strong legs also accommodate for their large size and weight. Their strong legs also allow them to climb trees to escape from predators
In 2012, fossils of the pandas earliest ancestry were found in a very surprising place. Although most Giant Pandas came from China these fossils show that the oldest known lineage originated in Spain. (Choi, 2012). This fossil, known as Kretzoiarctos beatrix (K. beatrix), was analyzed to have lived about 11.6 million years ago. An average Giant …show more content…
Most adaptations have helped its specialized diet of bamboo. The jaw muscle is very strong to be able to chew through the hard bamboo. As a result of this, the cranial cavity has grown bigger to house the large jaw muscle. This way they can gnaw on bamboo for long periods of time. They eat 20-40 pounds of bamboo a day. (Smith, 2014). The panda’s teeth are also adapted to eat bamboo. Their molars are smoother and larger than normal bears. It rarely uses its canine teeth because it does not have the need to kill and tear through flesh. The panda not only has five fingers, but it also has a sixth one that acts as an opposable thumb. This allows the panda the ability to hold the bamboo. It also gives it the strength to tear the shoots and leaves. The panda’s whole digestive system is adapted to aid it in the process of digesting bamboo. The lining of the esophagus is reinforced so that the bamboo fibers to not burst through. The stomach also has a tougher lining to help the bamboo be digested. The high cellulose content in the panda’s digestive tract forces the bamboo down in a quick manner. The shortened intestines also allow the panda’s digestion to be faster. Their strong legs also accommodate for their large size and weight. Their strong legs also allow them to climb trees to escape from predators