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Ailuropodinae
Ailuropodinae is a subfamily of Ursidae that contains only one extant species, the giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca'') of China. The fossil record of this group has shown that various species of pandas were more widespread across the Holarctic, with species found in places such as Europe, much of Asia and even North America. The earliest pandas were not unlike other modern bear species in that they had an omnivorous diet but by around 2.4 million years ago, pandas have evolved to be more herbivorous. Systematics Ever since the giant panda was first described to science, they have been a source of taxonomic confusion, having been variously classified as a member of Procyonidae, Ursidae, Ailuridae, or even their own family Ailuropodidae. Part of their similarities with the red panda is in particular the presence of a "thumb" and five fingers; the "thumb" – actually a modified sesamoid bone – that helps it to hold bamboo while eating. Recent genetic studies have shown t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bears
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, small rounded ears, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails. While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varied diets. With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They may be diurnal or nocturnal and have an excellent sense of smell. Despite their heavy build and awkward gait, they are adept runners, climbers, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ursidae
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and partially in the Southern Hemisphere. Bears are found on the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Common characteristics of modern bears include large bodies with stocky legs, long snouts, small rounded ears, shaggy hair, plantigrade paws with five nonretractile claws, and short tails. While the polar bear is mostly carnivorous, and the giant panda feeds almost entirely on bamboo, the remaining six species are omnivorous with varied diets. With the exception of courting individuals and mothers with their young, bears are typically solitary animals. They may be diurnal or nocturnal and have an excellent sense of smell. Despite their heavy build and awkward gait, they are adept runners, climbers, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ailuropodini
Ailuropodinae is a subfamily of Ursidae that contains only one extant species, the giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca'') of China. The fossil record of this group has shown that various species of pandas were more widespread across the Holarctic, with species found in places such as Europe, much of Asia and even North America. The earliest pandas were not unlike other modern bear species in that they had an omnivorous diet but by around 2.4 million years ago, pandas have evolved to be more herbivorous. Systematics Ever since the giant panda was first described to science, they have been a source of taxonomic confusion, having been variously classified as a member of Procyonidae, Ursidae, Ailuridae, or even their own family Ailuropodidae. Part of their similarities with the red panda is in particular the presence of a "thumb" and five fingers; the "thumb" – actually a modified sesamoid bone – that helps it to hold bamboo while eating. Recent genetic studies have shown th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kretzoiarctos
''Kretzoiarctos'' is an extinct bear genus from the European Miocene. It consists of ''Kretzoiarctos beatrix'', an ancestor of the extant giant panda. Description ''Kretzoiarctos beatrix'' was originally described in 2011 as ''Agriarctos beatrix'', before being reclassified into a new genus. The scientific name commemorates the Hungarian geologist and paleontologist Miklós Kretzoi. ''Kretzoiarctos beatrix'' are panda-like creatures and it is ancestral group of the Ailuropodinae subfamily according to fossil records from the middle Miocene of Spain. Based on tooth structure, researchers have speculated that this species may have been a small herbivorous animal that ate very hard plants. The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca'') has a special craniodental structure that serves as a durophagous feeding adaptation for bamboo, and a similar tooth structure was also found in ''K. beatrix'', indicating that this species may be the oldest relative of the giant panda and might ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agriarctos
''Agriarctos'' is an extinct genus of panda from the Middle to Late Miocene, approximately 8-18 million years ago. This genus and its type species ''A. gaali'' was established based on fossils from Hatvan, Hungary, and ''A. vighi'' based on fossils from Rózsaszentmárton. Miklós Kretzoi proposed ''Agriarctos'' was closely related with ''Agriotherium''. Previously published, ''Ursavus depereti'' was assigned to ''Agriarctos'' by Kretzoi, but now proved to be polyphyletic. ''Agriarctos beatrix'' was published in 2011 as a new species of ''Agriarctos''. It was later erected as a new genus ''Kretzoiarctos ''Kretzoiarctos'' is an extinct bear genus from the European Miocene. It consists of ''Kretzoiarctos beatrix'', an ancestor of the extant giant panda. Description ''Kretzoiarctos beatrix'' was originally described in 2011 as ''Agriarctos beatr ...'', which was named after Kretzoi. References Miocene bears {{carnivora-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miomaci
''Miomaci'' (Latinized el, mio, italic=yes, abbreviation of "Miocene" + hu, maci, italic=yes "little bear") is a genus of herbivorous ailuropodine bear from the late Miocene of Hungary. It is known only from teeth and jaws, but these indicate it was significantly smaller than its close relative ''Indarctos'', which could reach 265.74 kg.Abella, J., Valenciano, A., Pérez-Ramos, A., Montoya, P., & Morales, J. (2013). On the Socio-Sexual Behaviour of the Extinct Ursid Indarctos arctoides: An Approach Based on Its Baculum Size and Morphology. PLoS ONE, 8(9), e73711. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073711 Discovery and Naming ''Miomaci'' is known from dental remains of one individual including a left maxilla with P3-M2, left upper canine, 2 left incisors, right M1, right M2, right p1, fragment of right mandible with p3-m1, left hemimandible with alveoli with p1-p4, m1 (separated), m2-m3. The material is stored in the Geological Museum of the Geological and Geophysical Institute of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ailurarctos
''Ailurarctos'' ("cat bear") 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 Mosaic evolution (or modular evolution) is the concept, mainly from palaeontology, that evolutionary change takes place in some body parts or systems without simultaneous changes in other parts. Another definition is the "evolution of characters ... 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.Wang, X., Su, D.F., Jablonski, N.G. et al. ''Earliest giant panda false thumb suggests conflicting demands for locomotion and feeding''. Sci Rep 12, 10538 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13402-y References Miocene mammals of Asia Fossil taxa described in 1989 Miocene bears Prehistoric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ailuropoda
''Ailuropoda'' is the only extant genus in the ursid (bear) subfamily Ailuropodinae. It contains one living and three fossil species of panda. Only one species—''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''—currently exists; the other three species are prehistoric chronospecies. Despite its taxonomic classification as a carnivoran, the giant panda has a diet that is primarily herbivorous, which consists almost exclusively of bamboo. Giant pandas have descended from '' Ailurarctos'', which lived during the late Miocene. Etymology From Greek "cat" + "foot" (gen. sg.). Unlike most bears, giant pandas do not have round pupils, but instead have vertical slits, similar to those of cats. This has not only inspired the scientific name, but in Chinese the giant panda is called "large bear cat" (, ) and in Standard Tibetan, "cat bear" (, ). Classification *†''Ailuropoda microta'' Pei, 1962 (late Pliocene) *†''Ailuropoda wulingshanensis'' Wang et alii. 1982 (late Pliocene - early Pleistocene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agriarctos Nikolovi
''Agriarctos nikolovi'' is an extinct species of panda from the Late Miocene of Bulgaria, some 6 million years ago. The epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ... of scientific name commemorate Dr. Ivan Nikolov for his contribution to paleobiology studies of Bulgaria. References Miocene bears {{Carnivora-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sesamoid Bone
In anatomy, a sesamoid bone () is a bone embedded within a tendon or a muscle. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for ' sesame seed', indicating the small size of most sesamoids. Often, these bones form in response to strain, or can be present as a normal variant. The patella is the largest sesamoid bone in the body. Sesamoids act like pulleys, providing a smooth surface for tendons to slide over, increasing the tendon's ability to transmit muscular forces. Structure Sesamoid bones can be found on joints throughout the body, including: * In the knee—the patella (within the quadriceps tendon). This is the largest sesamoid bone. * In the hand—two sesamoid bones are commonly found in the distal portions of the first metacarpal bone (within the tendons of adductor pollicis and flexor pollicis brevis). There is also commonly a sesamoid bone in distal portions of the second metacarpal bone. * In the wrist—The pisiform of the wrist is a sesamoid bone (within the tend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ailuropoda Melanoleuca
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the red panda, a neighboring musteloid. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda is a folivore, with bamboo shoots and leaves making up more than 99% of its diet. Giant pandas in the wild occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, or carrion. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food. The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan, and also in neighbouring Shaanxi and Gansu. As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived, and it is a conservati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ailuropoda Baconi
''Ailuropoda baconi'' is an extinct panda known from cave deposits in south China, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand from the Late Pleistocene, 750 thousand years ago, and was preceded by ''A. wulingshanensis'' and '' A. microta'' as an ancestor of the giant panda (''A. melanoleuca''). Very little is known about this animal; however, its latest fossils have been dated to the Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of .... ''A. baconi'' is the largest panda ancestor on record and was larger than its descendant.C. Jin, R. L. Ciochon, W. Dong, R. M. Hunt, Jr., J. Liu, M. Jaeger, and Q. Zhu. 2007.The first skull of the earliest giant panda. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104:10932-10937 References Pleistocene carnivorans Giant pandas Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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