Ailurarctos
2024620246Ailurarctos (†Ailurarctos lufengensis (Qi et al., 1989))
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Ursidae
Subfamily: Ailuropodinae
Time period: the Late Miocene of Asia (China)
Ailurarctos is an extinct genus of panda from the Late Miocene of China, some 8 million years ago.
Different teeth structures in the Ailuropoda lineage indicate a mosaic evolution during the past 2 million years. Like modern giant pandas, Ailurarctos had a false thumb that allowed it to grip bamboo, suggesting that the panda's specialized bamboo diet goes back to as early as 6 to 7 million years ago.
Ailurarctos (†Ailurarctos lufengensis (Qi et al., 1989))
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Ursidae
Subfamily: Ailuropodinae
Time period: the Late Miocene of Asia (China)
Ailurarctos is an extinct genus of panda from the Late Miocene of China, some 8 million years ago.
Different teeth structures in the Ailuropoda lineage indicate a mosaic evolution during the past 2 million years. Like modern giant pandas, Ailurarctos had a false thumb that allowed it to grip bamboo, suggesting that the panda's specialized bamboo diet goes back to as early as 6 to 7 million years ago.