10,000-year-old giant panda fossil with remarkably intact skeleton found

A remarkably well-preserved giant panda fossil, estimated to be over 10,000 years old, has just been discovered in a cave in the Shaanxi province of China.

“Previously, only scattered giant panda fossils findings were made, such as individual teeth, single bones, or very fragmented pieces,” Hu Songmei, an expert paleontologist on the project team, stated in a video .

This rare discovery of a nearly complete giant panda fossil will enable researchers to make significant progress in understanding the evolutionary history of pandas, as well as “the ancient geography, paleoclimate, and environmental changes during the Pleistocene era.”

A giant female panda fossil

After receiving a tip from locals, the provincial department descended into a limestone cave over 180 meters deep. Here, they discovered these remarkable bones on a platform inaccessible to humans.

Expert paleontologists initiated their investigation on-site, meticulously examining the skull’s morphology, dental structure, and sagittal crest, as reported by SCMP. Their analysis identified the unique specimen as an adult female giant panda from the middle to late Pleistocene of the Quaternary Period, between 200,000 and 10,000 years ago. While older fossils, such as 11.6 million-year-old panda teeth in Spai n and a skull discovered in 2007, have been previously unearthed, this recent find stands out.

In a video, experts showcased the fossil’s massive jaw and impressive teeth on a skull that is over 90% complete. Remarkably, 70% of the skeleton has been preserved, “making it the most intact of its kind uncovered in the province in recent years,” Deputy Director of the Shaanxi Provincial Paleontological Fossil Protection and Research Center Zeng Zhongcheng confirmed.

“This nearly complete skeleton,” Hu Songmei continued , “including the skull, metatarsal bones, and vertebrae, is unprecedented in Shaanxi and likely in the entire country.”

“It is a significant discovery,” Songmei said.

Thirty-three fossil specimens have been transferred to the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Natural Resources for restoration and further research, as reported by CGTN . Researchers will more precisely date and classify the giant panda, aiming to assemble the most complete skeleton ever discovered for this species.

Beyond its significance as a fossil, the remains of this ancient giant panda are expected to unlock a previously inaccessible world, offering researchers unprecedented insights into the present.

A giant panda fossil with much to teach us

This groundbreaking skeleton has much information to share about “the survival and evolutionary process of giant pandas that inhabited the junction areas between modern-day Shaanxi and its neighboring provinces,” according to China Daily .

It will also provide a map of the ancient geography and climate during the Pleistocene era, as per SCMP . Researchers will utilize this data to gain a deeper understanding of both the evolution of the giant panda and the environment it inhabited.

Having walked the earth for over 3 million years, the beloved and distinctly black and white bear is considered to be a living fossil already and a National Treasure by the people of China.

However, never before have researchers possessed such a pristine ancestor. They anticipate that this fossil will offer unparalleled insights into the panda’s evolution and shed light on our current climate.