Kretzoiarctos beatrix Researchers discover ancient panda in clay pit in Allgäu

First ape "Udo", now a relative of today's panda: the "Hammerschmiede" clay pit in the Allgäu region has been a treasure trove for researchers for years.

In 2019, the most spectacular find in the "Hammerschmiede" in the Allgäu region was the skeletal remains of the great ape "Udo", which is believed to have lived around 11.6 million years ago. Researchers have now discovered a close relative of the modern-day panda there.

The only bear species found there so far, named Kretzoiarctos beatrix, is considered to be the oldest relative of the modern giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). This is because the shape and form of its teeth are similar to those of the Chinese bear.

The latter is known to feed exclusively on bamboo. The diet of the ancient panda, on the other hand, was more similar to the mixed plant and 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 prehistoric panda was smaller than modern brown bears, but weighed more than 100 kilograms. "In zoological systematics, today's giant pandas are carnivores. However, they actually feed exclusively on plants. They have specialized in hard plant food, 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 the pandas only occurred late in their evolution."

"Hammerschmiede": a treasure for researchers

In addition to the panda, a further 27 predator species were found in the pit, the researchers report in the specialist journal "Geobios". "There is hardly a modern habitat with as many species," says Böhme. This diversity shows that the ecosystem must have functioned very well. According to the researcher, there were even species that existed side by side, although they occupied very similar niches. Prehistoric panda remains have previously been discovered in Spain, among other places.

Scientists have been carrying out research in the Swabian town since 2011 and have found thousands of fossil remains and dozens of plant species. The discovery of fossil remains of the great ape "Udo" (Danuvius guggenmosi), which had called into question assumptions about the development of the upright gait, was outstanding.

dpa