Until Relatively Recently, Giant Pandas Ate Much More Than Bamboo

D-brief
By Roni Dengler
Jan 31, 2019 5:15 PMMay 17, 2019 8:35 PM
giant panda eats a diet of bamboo
A giant panda munches on bamboo. A new fossil analysis shows ancient pandas had a much more balanced diet. (Credit: Photo by Lola/shutterstock)

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Pandas are picky eaters. The conservation icons live off a nearly exclusive diet of bamboo. Now, researchers have shown that ancient pandas once had a much broader palette and lived in a wider region. The discovery overturns a long-held belief that while pandas descended from meat-eating animals, they have been dining on bamboo for millions of years.

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