Ailuropoda


Ailuropoda is the only extant genus in the ursid subfamily Ailuropodinae. It contains one living and three fossil species of panda.
Only one species—Ailuropoda melanoleuca—currently exists; the other three species are prehistoric chronospecies. Despite its taxonomic classification as a carnivoran, the giant panda has a diet that is primarily herbivorous, which consists almost exclusively of bamboo.
Giant pandas have descended from Ailurarctos, which lived during the late Miocene.
In 2011, fossil teeth from over 11 mya found in the Iberian peninsula were identified as belonging to a previously unidentified species in the Ailuropodinae subfamily. This species was named Agriarctos beatrix.

Etymology

From Greek αἴλουρος aílouros "cat" + ‒ποδός ‒podós "foot". Unlike most bears, giant pandas do not have round pupils, but instead have vertical slits, similar to those of cats. This has not only inspired the Latin name, but in Chinese the giant panda is called "large bear cat" and in Standard Tibetan, "cat bear".

Classification

The red, or lesser, panda was formerly considered closely related to the giant panda. It is no longer considered a bear, however, and is now classified as the sole living representative of a different carnivore family.