Photo: Earliest Panda Skull Reveals Bamboo-Eating "Pygmy"

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


A side-by-side comparison shows a modern panda skull (right) next to a fossil of an ancestral bear that weighed in at just half the size. The "pygmy" panda was already adapted to eating bamboo, according to a new study.

Photograph courtesy Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing

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

MOST VIEWED NEWS

Hurricane Gustav to Become Gulf Coast Monster?

Portal to Maya Underworld Found in Mexico?

PHOTO IN THE NEWS: New Giant Fish Species Announced

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

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

Photo and Headline Widget

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