Ailuropoda

Ailuropoda is the only extant genus in the ursid (bear) subfamily Ailuropodinae. It contains one living and one or more fossil species of panda.<ref name="Hu et al. 2023"/><ref name="pnas">Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref name="pnas" />

Etymology

Giant panda eye

From Greek Template:Lang Template:Transliteration "cat" + Template:Lang Template:Transliteration "foot" (gen. sg.). 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 scientific name Template:Citation needed, but in Chinese the giant panda is called "large bear cat" (Template:Lang, Template:Transliteration).Template:Clear

Classification

• †Ailuropoda microta Pei, 1962<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> (late Pliocene)
• †Ailuropoda wulingshanensis Wang et al. 1982<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> (late Pliocene–early Pleistocene)
• †Ailuropoda baconi (Woodward 1915)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> (Pleistocene)
• Ailuropoda melanoleuca (giant panda) (David, 1869)<ref name=David1869>Template:Cite journal</ref>
  • Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca (David, 1869)
  • Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis Wan Q.H., Wu H. & Fang S.G., 2005<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Alternatively, Ailuropoda wulingshanensis and Ailuropoda baconi may be treated as subspecies of Ailuropoda melanoleuca.<ref name="Hu et al. 2023"/>

Other pandas

The red, or lesser panda (Ailurus fulgens) 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 (Ailuridae).