Why are pandas only found in China?

Surely all of us have heard the name panda - a lovely animal considered the "national treasure" of China. In the past, pandas were present throughout Asia and Europe.

Mysterious bear teeth in Bulgaria

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, meaning "black and white cat-foot") is a bear native to China. It is easily recognized by the large, black patches around its eyes, on its ears, and on its limbs. Although it belongs to the order Carnivora (Carnivora), the panda's diet consists of more than 99% bamboo.

Although they are carnivores, the panda's diet consists of more than 99% bamboo. (Photo: NatGeo)

In ancient times, pandas were considered rare and strange animals, and were known as "monsters". They were described in folk legends as monsters that ate iron, leopards, and scorpions. In the book "The History of Sima Qian: The Five Emperors of Ban Ji", it was recorded that pandas were used for fighting. This shows that pandas are not as gentle, cute, and weak as they appear.

Giant pandas are commonly found in the mountains of Sichuan and Shaanxi, China. Although they are considered endemic to China, few people know that in the past, pandas roamed throughout Asia and even Europe. Scientists have found evidence of pandas related to the Chinese giant panda in Hungary, Spain and Bulgaria.

Fossilized teeth found in Bulgaria. (Photo: NatGeo)

This fact was 'discovered' in the late 1970s. A coal mine worker in northwestern Bulgaria accidentally discovered two fossilized teeth. He then brought them to the National Museum of Natural History for expert examination. Unfortunately, the teeth were then forgotten for decades.

It was not until Nikolai Spassov, a paleontologist working at the exact spot where Nikolov had left it after his retirement and death, decided to have the teeth examined. Spassov said that these teeth belonged to an animal that died at least 5-7 million years ago, belonging to the Messinian geological period.

Match between fossil teeth found in Bulgaria and those of modern pandas. (Photo: NatGeo)

Suspecting that the dead animal was a bear, Spassov compared it with fossils of brown bears found in the area. The results were not as expected, he found that the two specimens did not match particularly well.

Surprisingly, when he happened to see the teeth of a Chinese giant panda, Spassov suddenly realized how similar they were to the teeth he was studying. He went back to the files to confirm that these must be panda teeth.

Complete image of ancient European panda reconstructed from found fossils. (Photo: NatGeo)

From the fossils found, archaeologists have reconstructed their bone structure and created a complete image of the European panda. However, after experiencing a climatic event, called the Messinian Salinity Crisis that occurred at the end of the Miocene, the sea level dropped by 70 meters. The freshwater lakes on land also evaporated. This further led to the extinction of many plant species and the animals that depended on them, including the European panda . Therefore, only the pandas in China survive to this day.

The Journey to Becoming China's National Treasure

The panda is a national treasure of China. (Photo: NatGeo).

The panda was designated a national treasure entirely thanks to a foreigner – Father Armand David. In 1862, Father David discovered in China a 'very special black and white bear skin'. He believed that the panda 'would become a very interesting new species'.

At that time, China did not care about and protect pandas, David loved this animal so much that he hunted everywhere, trying to get this animal out of China. Since then, a love for pandas has been formed among foreigners, and in order to get pandas, countries sent people to China to search for them. This is also the main reason why the number of giant pandas has decreased sharply, at that time, at least 200 live pandas were sent abroad, the rest died during transportation.

Due to over-hunting, pandas were once on the brink of extinction. (Photo: NatGeo)

It wasn't until the 1940s that China realized the seriousness of the problem, and the government began actively conserving pandas. In 1988, China officially designated the panda as a national first-class protected animal. This was also the time when the panda officially became China's "national treasure", after decades of facing survival threats from hunting.

Today, pandas are considered a precious gift from China to many countries. (Photo: NatGeo)

Since then, pandas have been regarded as an extremely precious gift, known as: "Panda Diplomacy". China has given pandas as diplomatic gifts to many countries such as Russia, North Korea, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Japan.