COSMOS MAGAZINE
Credit: Sid Balachandran
Pandas have long confounded biologists because they have a digestive system which resembles that of carnivores, yet the bear species relies mostly on bamboo – a grass – for food.
Credit: Stefan Rotter/iStock/Getty Images Plus.
Bucking evolutionary trends, giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are one of just a few examples of a species which turned away from its carnivorous ancestry to become almost totally herbivorous.
Other bears – such as grizzly and black bears – are well known omnivores while polar bears are almost exclusively carnivores.
Grizzly bear. Credit: Zdenek Machacek
Pandas, too, have the gastrointestinal tract of a carnivore. So why do they subsist on bamboo?
Credit: Debbie Molle
Scientists discovered that bamboo contains special molecules called miRNAs, which enter pandas' bodies and influence their gene expression.
Credit: Ningyu He
These miRNAs help regulate growth, behaviour, immunity, and even how pandas smell and taste bamboo.
Credit: Pascal Muller
Over time, these genetic changes may have helped pandas adapt to a bamboo diet, despite their carnivorous ancestry.
Credit:Elena Loshina
Credit: Vince Russell
This discovery could lead to new research on animal health, diet safety, and even disease prevention. It could also help to assess and improve the safety of plant-based foods for animals and humans. But more research is needed.