The Great Panda (Panda Bear)

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Panda
Introduction
The great panda, or panda bear is a vulnerable species of the bear family that originated from China. With less than 1900 panda bears alive in the world, the species is considered very rare and vulnerable (IUNC). The panda distinguishes itself from other bears by its captivating appearance. Its body is covered with a coat of white and black fur and has a bulky appearance. Fully grown males can achieve a height of 1.8 meters and weigh more than 330 pounds (World Wild Life). However, females are usually smaller. The animal’s diet is mainly comprised of leaves, bamboo stems and shoots, which are common in China’s forest throughout the year.
Evolution of the Panda
Giant pandas are considered to have been living in China after separating from other bears. A variety of fossils have been discovered to solidify the notion. For example, in southern and central China, scientists discovered the fossils of giant pandas that date back more than 600,000 years ago during the middle Pleistocene era. Similarly, scientists have also discovered teeth belonging to the extinct panda Ailuropoda Baconi which is said to have lived more than 750,000 years ago (Bonis, Abella, Merceron and Begun 414). The discovery reveals that at the time, giant pandas were much larger in numbers compared to the current sum. The historical ties of the panda, however, has been greatly debated over, with some scientists concluding that pandas are descendants of bears, while others argue that the animals originated from the raccoon family (Bonis, Abella, Merceron and Begun 414). The debate over the pandas' evolution is contributed by the fact that few fossils of the animal’s relatives have been discovered, thus making it difficult ascertain its lineage. Nonetheless, the few discoveries and scientific evidence place the animal into the classification of mammals and carnivores.
The fossils of the earliest ancestor of the panda ever discovered in China are that of the Ailuaractos Lufengensis, which is estimated to be in existence almost 8 million years ago. The panda resembled a fat fox and is believed to evolve from arctoid with carnassial food habits (Bonis, Abella, Merceron and Begun 416). The Ailuaractos Lufengensis evolved into the Agriarcros Goaci and mainly dwelled in the humid forests of France and Hungary (Bonis, Abella, Merceron and Begun 413). The majority of the panda’s evolution took place in south and central China. However, one species, known as Ailuropoda Micrta, was discovered more than 3 million years ago during the early Pleistocene (Bonis, Abella, Merceron and Begun 414). The species resembled a fat dog and were half the size of the average panda existing today. The fossil’s teeth also revealed that the species evolved into an omnivorous animal that fed partially on bamboo. The dog-like pandas began to extend their living in the sub-tropical areas of China after 2 million years (Bonis, Abella, Merceron and Begun, 415). These areas were also inhabited by the primal pandas, mainly around Sichuan, Guangxi, and Yunnan. As part of their adaptation, the pandas began to develop larger bodies. Fossils from the late panda species during the Late...