Scientists Find Ancient Panda Species in Europe

The identification of this new panda species provides insight into the distribution and the diet of ancient pandas.

By Sam Walters
Aug 1, 2022 2:45 PM
Prehistoric Panda
Reconstruction of A. nikolovi from Bulgaria. (Credit: Velizar Simeonovski, Chicago)

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Though there is only a single panda species on the planet today, concentrated in a couple mountain ranges in central China, a plethora of panda species once roamed a much more impressive range across Asia and Europe.

Now, in an analysis in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, scientists say that they’ve found another of these ancient bears. Tromping through Bulgaria around six million years ago, the study authors say that this species is the last known panda to live in Europe.

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