The giant panda has existed on Earth for at least 8 million years. Throughout this time, the natural environment and climate have undergone significant changes, causing many contemporary species to become extinct due to their inability to adapt. However, the giant panda has survived these changes with remarkable resilience and has preserved many of its ancient characteristics, earning the title of a “living fossil.”
Evolutionary History of the Giant Panda
Based on research of giant panda fossils found in the late Miocene strata of the Luxi area in Yunnan, it is believed that around 8 to 9 million years ago, the ancestors of giant pandas, known as the early panda, lived on the edge of tropical and humid forests in Yunnan. These early pandas, which evolved from bear-like ancestors and were primarily carnivorous, resembled plump foxes.
The early pandas evolved in central and southern China into what we recognize today as giant pandas. Among them, the small-sized giant panda appeared about 3 million years ago in the early Pleistocene and was half the size of modern giant pandas, resembling a chubby dog. By the middle to late Pleistocene, about 500,000 to 700,000 years ago, the Wuling Mountain subspecies and the Bashan subspecies of giant pandas emerged. The Wuling Mountain subspecies was a transitional form between the small-sized giant panda and the Bashan subspecies, with its fossils being approximately 1/8 smaller than modern giant pandas, while the Bashan subspecies was generally about 1/8 larger.
During the middle to late Pleistocene, the natural environment began to change drastically, with large ice sheets forming in the Qinling Mountains and southern China. By around 18,000 years ago, during the Quaternary glaciation, many large animals like the saber-toothed tiger and saber-toothed elephant went extinct. The northern giant pandas also disappeared, leaving only a small population in the south that continued to thrive and evolved into the modern giant pandas we see today.
Historical Records of the Giant Panda
Throughout history, giant pandas have been regarded as rare and exotic creatures in China. Numerous historical texts from various Chinese dynasties contain records and legends about giant pandas. These records include many ancient names for the giant panda, which are mentioned in different historical documents.
Scientific Discovery of the Giant Panda
Between 1862 and 1874, French missionary Armand David came to China and learned that Sichuan Province’s Baoxing County was home to nearly a quarter of China’s animal species, many of which were rare and exotic. He moved from Shanghai to Baoxing to become the fourth priest at the Donghe Dengchigou Church in Muping.
In the spring of 1869, while passing by a Li family home, David was captivated by a peculiar black-and-white animal skin hanging on the wall, which was identified locally as a “bamboo bear.” The animal was gentle and generally non-aggressive. David was excited by this discovery, believing it to be a fascinating new species that would fill a gap in the scientific study of animals.
On April 1, 1869, local hunters captured a “bamboo bear” for David, who named it the “black-and-white bear.” David admired the bear’s black-and-white coloring, round face, and amusing behavior. After a period of careful care, David decided to take the adorable “black-and-white bear” back to France. Unfortunately, the bear did not survive the long journey and fluctuating climate, passing away before reaching Chengdu. David preserved its skin as a specimen, which was sent to the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, marking the creation of the world’s first giant panda specimen.
Origin of the Name “Giant Panda”
When the giant panda specimen arrived at the National Museum of Natural History in France, the museum director, Milne-Edwards, conducted thorough research and renamed David’s “black-and-white bear” from Ursus (the bear genus) to Ailuropoda (the giant panda genus), keeping the species name melanoleuca, thus becoming Ailuropoda melanoleuca (the black-and-white cat bear).
Later, taxonomists, after repeated research and discussions, confirmed that Ailuropoda melanoleuca was the most appropriate scientific name, which has continued to be used.
The origin of the Chinese name “熊猫” (panda) has different explanations. A popular theory is that in 1939, the first giant pandas were exhibited at the North Beibei People’s Park (now Beibei Park) in Chongqing. The exhibit sign displayed the name “cat bear” in both Chinese and English. To match the English, the Chinese was written from left to right as “猫熊” (cat bear). Since the Chinese reading and writing tradition at the time was from right to left, visitors read “猫熊” as “panda.” This term then became widely accepted and has been used ever since.
