A groundbreaking discovery in southern Germany has provided remarkable insights into the evolutionary history of the giant panda. Paleontologists recently uncovered the fossil of Kretzoiarctos beatrix, an omnivorous ancestor of the modern giant panda, that lived around 11 million years ago. This discovery, made at the Hammerschmiede site in Allgäu, challenges the long-held belief that pandas have always been bamboo eaters. The fossil is the first evidence showing that pandas once lived in Europe and consumed a varied diet, including both plants and meat. This is a significant shift in the understanding of panda evolution, revealing that the transition to a bamboo-based diet occurred much later. The findings, which were detailed in a study published in Palaeontology, offer new perspectives on the dietary habits of early panda ancestors and the ecological changes they experienced over millions of years.
A Rewritten Panda Evolution Story
Unlike the modern giant panda, which is famous for its strictly bamboo-based diet, Kretzoiarctos beatrix had a much more varied and omnivorous diet. The fossilized teeth of this ancient panda ancestor were analyzed for clues about its eating habits. When compared to other bear species, including polar bears, brown bears, and spectacled bears, the team concluded that Kretzoiarctos had a diet much more like that of modern brown bears, consuming both plant and animal matter. This is in stark contrast to today’s giant pandas, which are strictly herbivorous.
Professor Madelaine Böhme, from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen, explained the findings, stating, “These results are important to our understanding of the evolution of bears and the development of herbivory in giant pandas. It turns out that Kretzoiarctos beatrix, the oldest of the pandas, was a generalist. Specialization in the panda’s diet only came about late in its evolution.”
The analysis of the teeth’s macro- and micromorphology revealed that Kretzoiarctos did not specialize in tough plants like its modern descendants, nor did it live exclusively on meat like polar bears. The scratches and pits found on its teeth suggest it chewed a variety of foods, possibly including bones, signaling that it had a more generalized, opportunistic diet.
Insights into the Ecosystem of the Time
The discovery site, Hammerschmiede, is rich in fossil evidence and has provided a unique glimpse into the ecosystem that existed 11 million years ago. Along with Kretzoiarctos, the site revealed 27 predator species, including saber-toothed tigers, hyenas, and otter-like animals. These findings suggest that Hammerschmiede once hosted a thriving ecosystem with a wide variety of animals coexisting in a forest-rich river landscape.
The diverse species found at the site also highlight how species within the same ecological niche could live together without significant competition for resources. Dr. Nikolaos Kargopoulos pointed out that, “For example, there are four different otter-like animals of approximately the same size and type of diet. Normally, they would compete for the natural resources in their environment. But it seems that the resources of the Hammerschmiede were rich enough to meet the needs of every species.”
This abundance of resources allowed a variety of predators, from the small and nimble otter-like creatures to the larger saber-toothed tigers, to thrive in the same environment. It was a rare and unusual ecosystem that supported a wide variety of species, many of which had similar diets but coexisted without the usual competition.
