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Pandas used to eat meat, then went vegetarian, but now just eat bamboo
Pandas used to eat meat, then went vegetarian, but now just eat bamboo
SUMMARY
Panda's diet nowadays is basically based on bamboo. It had been accepted that they have been feeding on bamboo for the last two million years, but this statment was wrong.
It has been shown that they had a more varied diet until just a few thousand years ago. The oldest pandas ate only meat. Then they started to eat both meat and vegetation until five thousand years ago, when they switched completely to their actual diet for a reason yet unknown.
Pandas have a carnivore dygestive system, and by analyzing the composition of stable isotopes found in their teeth, bones and hair, and looking for different isotope ratios, scientist can tell insights into their habitat, enviromental conditions and diet. This way they analyzed some pandas nowadays and some other from different archaeological sites from five to seven thousand years ago. The results were difference in their isotope radiation, suggesting this change on diet.
The fact their diet has changed over the years has been studied and proved, but the mystery of the reason of the switch still remains. Bamboo is not the most nutritious food. It makes their metabolic rate lower and it leads to a very lazy lifestyle. Plus they must eat around twenty five kilograms of it each day which is a huge amount. To find the reason, they are going to keep looking at panda fossils. There's a thought that the reason for the switch is a mix of climate change results, human encroachment and species competition for resources.
Panda's diet nowadays is basically based on bamboo. It had been accepted that they have been feeding on bamboo for the last two million years, but this statment was wrong.
It has been shown that they had a more varied diet until just a few thousand years ago. The oldest pandas ate only meat. Then they started to eat both meat and vegetation until five thousand years ago, when they switched completely to their actual diet for a reason yet unknown.
Pandas have a carnivore dygestive system, and by analyzing the composition of stable isotopes found in their teeth, bones and hair, and looking for different isotope ratios, scientist can tell insights into their habitat, enviromental conditions and diet. This way they analyzed some pandas nowadays and some other from different archaeological sites from five to seven thousand years ago. The results were difference in their isotope radiation, suggesting this change on diet.
The fact their diet has changed over the years has been studied and proved, but the mystery of the reason of the switch still remains. Bamboo is not the most nutritious food. It makes their metabolic rate lower and it leads to a very lazy lifestyle. Plus they must eat around twenty five kilograms of it each day which is a huge amount. To find the reason, they are going to keep looking at panda fossils. There's a thought that the reason for the switch is a mix of climate change results, human encroachment and species competition for resources.
LINK OR REFERENCE
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/pandas-used-to-eat-meat-then-went-vegetarian-but-now-just-eat-bamboo/
PUBLICATION DATE
https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/pandas-used-to-eat-meat-then-went-vegetarian-but-now-just-eat-bamboo/
PUBLICATION DATE
February 1st, 2019
SCIENTIFIC SCOPE
SCIENTIFIC SCOPE
Biology
TEXT COMMENTARY
Pandas as we know them today are naturally meek animals. It's surprising to find out they weren't some years ago. They are meek because of their metabolic rate caused by their alimentation, changed by a yet unknown fact.
With this study we can see that just by changing the alimentation, an animal can completely change its way of behaving. If they need meat to eat, they must hunt. If they are good hunters they can reproduce and pass the gene for hunting to younger generations. This generations do the same, leading to a constant surviving, making each generation "agressive". But for some reason, they had to change their alimentation. Or maybe the most agressive died and the most meek ones survived because they didn't face the predator or danger the others suffered because of their agressivity and the gene for hunting degenerated. Only meek pandas survived, so they started eating vegetals to avoid dying.
I don't really know the reason, but if we think about it carefully, why is it that nowadays human eating meat doesn't necessarily mean agressive behaviour? It's probably because our lives doesn't depend on the food. We don't need to be agressive. Now our most dangerous enemy is humanity. We don't think about food, our worries are social most of the times. We worry about other people's way of thinking, about liking others or if they like your way of doing things.
Our central worries are social, so we evolve around social behaviour, and not around alimentation.
With this study we can see that just by changing the alimentation, an animal can completely change its way of behaving. If they need meat to eat, they must hunt. If they are good hunters they can reproduce and pass the gene for hunting to younger generations. This generations do the same, leading to a constant surviving, making each generation "agressive". But for some reason, they had to change their alimentation. Or maybe the most agressive died and the most meek ones survived because they didn't face the predator or danger the others suffered because of their agressivity and the gene for hunting degenerated. Only meek pandas survived, so they started eating vegetals to avoid dying.
I don't really know the reason, but if we think about it carefully, why is it that nowadays human eating meat doesn't necessarily mean agressive behaviour? It's probably because our lives doesn't depend on the food. We don't need to be agressive. Now our most dangerous enemy is humanity. We don't think about food, our worries are social most of the times. We worry about other people's way of thinking, about liking others or if they like your way of doing things.
Our central worries are social, so we evolve around social behaviour, and not around alimentation.
GLOSSARY
None needed
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