Photo: Ancient Pandas Competed With Giant Apes for Bamboo



The bamboo-covered terrain of Hainan, China, was once home to ancient pandas and giant apes, new fossils found in this limestone cave suggest.

Scientists say early humans may also have competed with the creatures for living space, although no fossil evidence has yet been found to support this theory.

Nearly half a million years ago, the present-day island was a peninsula, scientists say.

Photograph by Huang Wanbo


EMAIL NEWSLETTER Photos and News of the Week

Get the top photos and news of the week from National Geographic News, plus occasional breaking-news alerts.

See Sample >>
Please enter a valid email address
Privacy Policy
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Photo and Headline Widget

Put our latest news and photos on your Web page or desktop—automatically updates! See Sample