International Panda Festival: This round panda can't be photographed in color? You're kidding!

In 1993, it was the 10th anniversary of China's campaign to save giant pandas. Chengdu held the "International Panda Day". Since then, September 22 has become the International Panda Day, a festival for giant pandas. Usually, we can't help but be fascinated by their cute appearance, but we also "laugh" at them: Haha, they are only black and white, and can't be photographed in color! They all have a pair of "dark circles" under their eyes from staying up all night...

The giant panda won’t tolerate this, you’re talking nonsense!

Misconception 1: Can’t we take color photos of giant pandas?

Brown pandas are a rare variant of the giant panda. As of 2009, only five brown pandas have been found in the world since scientific records began, all in the core area of ​​the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi, one of the important habitats of giant pandas.

Scientists have the following speculations about the causes of this phenomenon:

The first one is that the appearance of brown giant pandas may be due to the abnormal content of trace elements that affect the synthesis of hair pigments in the soil and water sources in the Qinling area, thus affecting the synthesis of melanin in its hair. But if this is the reason, the giant panda population produced in this area should seem to have intermediate types of hair colors ranging from black to brown, but so far no such intermediate types have been found;

The second view is that brown hair is caused by gene mutation, but the probability of gene mutation affecting hair color in nature is very low;

The third theory is that brown fur is a primitive trait, which is called atavism.

The fourth view is that this is the result of a recessive gene homozygosity. Assuming that the color of the hair is controlled by a pair of genes, the gene that controls brown hair is recessive. Only when both parents carry this gene at the same time, their offspring can be homozygous for the recessive gene and grow brown hair. Although the fourth explanation seems to be more satisfactory, since people still have little relevant information, further research is needed to uncover the mystery of the brown giant panda.

Misunderstanding 2: Giant pandas have dark circles under their eyes. Do they always stay up late at night?

In fact, giant pandas are born with poor eyesight, which is also a common feature of bears. The "dark circles" of giant pandas are actually the same as wearing sunglasses or blinds for people. They can block sunlight, reduce the amount of light entering the glasses, and absorb ultraviolet rays that can damage the eyes. In summer, giant pandas usually spend the night on the top of trees with good visibility. When they wake up in the morning, the light on the top of the tree is strong, and the light on the ground is weak and dark. This is just like when people stand in the sun and look at dim places, they can't see clearly and need to wear sunglasses to see clearly. Giant pandas cleverly use the "dark circles" to block strong light and avoid irritating the eyes. In this way, they can see the ground clearly before going down the tree, and only go down the tree after confirming that it is safe. In winter, the sky is full of snow, and the white snow reflects sunlight, which will irritate the eyes. There is a magic weapon called "dark circles" to block light and avoid eye irritation, just like people need to wear sunglasses when walking in the snow for a long time, otherwise they will be blinded by the light. So, please don’t complain about the panda’s “dark circles”. They are very useful, and with them, the panda becomes even cuter.

Misunderstanding three: Giant pandas just look like bears, they are not bears, right?

Many people think that giant pandas are not ordinary bears, but the fact is that giant pandas are bears! Since the first description of giant pandas by Westerners in 1869, they have been classified as bears, raccoons, and the main family of the giant panda, depending on whether the researchers look at bone structure characteristics, behavioral characteristics, or other characteristics. The giant panda and another animal, the red panda, both have the word "panda" in their names. It was not until the 1980s that genetic analysis results were able to distinguish the two animals, with the red panda being classified as the raccoon family and the giant panda being classified as the bear family.

Misconception 4: Are giant pandas lazy?

Many people say that giant pandas are lazy. They feel sorry for them! Giant pandas are not lazy, they just live comfortably. Although they lack speed, they have endurance. Giant pandas eat for 19 hours a day and all year round. Unlike other temperate bears, giant pandas do not hibernate for long periods of time, lie in wait for prey, or sleep after a big meal. Because they cannot store body fat, giant pandas must constantly look for food. Fortunately, giant pandas can usually find food nearby. In their natural habitat, giant pandas migrate seasonally up and down steep mountainsides, and there are reports that they trek 10 kilometers to climb mountains. So, everyone should remember to call the giant pandas who are not lazy!

Misunderstanding 5: Pandas eat bamboo and poop like bamboo. Are they natural vegetarians?

Fossil evidence shows that the ancestor of the cute giant panda was actually a carnivorous bear. But how did it become a "vegetarian" during the long evolutionary process? In fact, the panda's "vegetarianism" is not that thorough. Bears are omnivorous animals, and they will not refuse any food, and even plants and fruits account for the majority of their diet. Of course, meat is definitely the most delicious, so even pandas that mainly eat bamboo don't mind eating some meat occasionally as a "snack" (Note: However, most of the captive giant pandas do not eat meat, and their diet is completely vegetarian).

As for why pandas changed from being omnivorous to being particularly fond of bamboo as their main food, the more common explanation is that in the middle and late Pleistocene, the Qinling Mountains and the mountains to the south experienced natural environmental changes such as an increase in glaciers, and the omnivorous animals that originally lived in the northern region were driven here by the severe cold to compete for territory. With a reduced living area and an increase in competitors, the giant pandas had to gradually change their diet in order to survive, changing from carnivores to bamboo eaters in the long process of adapting to the environment. Others believe, based on the fossil evidence of giant pandas, that until 7 million years ago, the ancestors of pandas were omnivores like other bears, and that about 4.2 million years ago, the T1R1 gene in the panda's body mutated, which directly led to the panda's inability to sense the umami taste of glutamate in meat, and thus felt that meat tasted bad.

Comprehensive sources: Science Encyclopedia, China Science Writers Association, Science Press