Scientists explain the depressing reason why pandas are black and white
With its trademark patches of black and white fur, there's no mistaking the giant panda for any other bear.
Now scientists have a better idea of why pandas have this distinctive pattern, and it could all come down to the lengths the poor old animal has to go to just to get enough to eat.
The problem is, pandas are rather unique; while contrasting stripes and spots are common across the animal kingdom, an outfit consisting of black stockings, black shirt, eye-spots, and dark ears is pretty rare.
So researchers from the University of California, Davis, and California State University, Long Beach, worked together to pull apart the panda's patterns and match each body part separately with a comparable critter.
"The breakthrough in the study was treating each part of the body as an independent area," explained Tim Caro from UC Davis.
This research was published in Behavioral Ecology
Now scientists have a better idea of why pandas have this distinctive pattern, and it could all come down to the lengths the poor old animal has to go to just to get enough to eat.
The problem is, pandas are rather unique; while contrasting stripes and spots are common across the animal kingdom, an outfit consisting of black stockings, black shirt, eye-spots, and dark ears is pretty rare.
So researchers from the University of California, Davis, and California State University, Long Beach, worked together to pull apart the panda's patterns and match each body part separately with a comparable critter.
"The breakthrough in the study was treating each part of the body as an independent area," explained Tim Caro from UC Davis.
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| leungchopan/Shutterstock |
This research was published in Behavioral Ecology
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