The origin of the panda and its evolutionary history

The giant panda is my country's national treasure and an extremely precious protected animal in the world. So, when did it originate? According to archaeologists, as early as 2 million years ago, a group of giant pandas appeared in China, and they were called "Pixiu" at that time. It is said that more than 4,000 years ago, the people of Long'an Prefecture (today's Pingwu County) in Sichuan presented giant pandas to King Yu for his merits in flood control. There are also records about giant pandas in many ancient Chinese works. There is a sentence in "Shangshu" like "like a tiger, like a brave", which compares a warrior to be as brave as a brave. The giant panda is also mentioned in the Book of Songs, such as "offering its brave skin."

By the Tang Dynasty, giant pandas were already regarded as precious animals. When Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty held a banquet to reward more than 10 meritorious officials in the Danxiao Hall, he gave them tapir (Yinmo, also known as giant panda) skin as the highest reward. Bai Juyi, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, said in the preface to "In Praise of the Tapir Screen": "Tapirs are born in the valleys of the south. They sleep on their skins to ward off plague, and use their shapes to ward off evil spirits. To treat the old disease, they often use a small screen to protect their heads every time they sleep." It can be seen that the cherishment of giant pandas at that time had reached a mysterious level. In fact, the giant panda can neither ward off plague nor evil spirits. Instead, it has won the love and attention of people all over the world with its unique characteristics and image.

Giant pandas are mammals belonging to the family Ursidae and the genus Giant Panda. There are only two subspecies. Male individuals are slightly larger than females. The body is plump and bear-like, with a round head and short tail. The head and body are 1.2-1.8 meters long, and the tail is 10-12 centimeters long. It weighs 80-120 kilograms, and can reach up to 180 kilograms. Its body color is black and white, with round cheeks and large "dark circles". It has a signature pigeon-toed walking style and scalpel-like sharp claws. Giant pandas have thick skin, up to 10 mm at its thickest point. The black and white appearance helps it hide in the trees of dense forests and on the snowy ground and is not easily discovered by natural enemies.

animal tags：