Ailurarctos ("cat bear") is an extinct genus of panda from the Late Miocene of China, some 8 million years ago.[1][2][3][4]
Different teeth structures in the Ailuropoda lineage indicate a mosaic evolution during the past 2 million years.[5] Like modern giant pandas, Ailurarctos had a false thumb that allowed it to grip bamboo, suggesting that the panda's specialized bamboo diet goes back to as early as 6 to 7 million years ago.[6]
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