The most spectacular find in the “Hammerschmiede” in the Allgäu in 2019 was the skeletal parts of the great ape “Udo”, which is said to have lived around 11.6 million years ago. Now researchers have discovered an ancient relative of today’s panda there. The only bear species found there so far, called Kretzoiarctos beatrix, is considered to be the oldest relative of the modern giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). The shape and shape of its teeth are similar to those of the Chinese bear. This is known to feed exclusively on bamboo.
The diet of the original panda, on the other hand, was more similar to the mixed plant-animal diet of today’s brown bears. This is reported by an international research team from Hamburg, Frankfurt, Madrid and Valencia led by Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen in the journal “Papers in Paleontology”. The ancient panda was smaller than modern brown bears, but weighed more than 100 kilograms. “Today’s giant pandas are carnivores in zoological classification. In fact, they only feed on plants. They specialize in hard plant foods, especially bamboo,” reports first author Nikolaos Kargopoulos. The diet of the bear from the pit in Pforzen (Ostallgäu district) contained both plant and animal components. “These results are important for our understanding of the evolution of bears and the development of veganism in giant pandas,” says Böhme. “Kretzoiarctos beatrix, the oldest giant pandas, were therefore generalists. Specialization in the diet of pandas only occurred late in their evolution.”
Scientists have been conducting research in the Swabian town since 2011. Thousands of fossil remains and dozens of plant species have been found. What was outstanding was the discovery of fossil remains of the great ape “Udo” (Danuvius guggenmosi), which questioned assumptions about the development of upright walking.