Why is the giant panda a national treasure?

The giant panda belongs to a mammal of the family Pandas of the carnivorous order. It is one of the cutest animals in the world. It has lived on Earth for at least 8 million years. The image ambassador of WWF and the flagship species of biodiversity conservation in the world are known as "living fossils" and "national treasures of China". Let's take a look at why giant pandas are national treasures.

Unique to China

Giant pandas are endemic to China, mainly distributed in Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan (regional extinction: Hubei and Hunan), including Qinling, Minshan, Qionglai, Daxiangling, Xiaoxiangling and Daliangshan.

The quantity is rare

According to the third National Giant Panda Field population Survey, there are less than 1600 giant pandas in the wild in the world, which are first-class protected animals in China.

On the verge of extinction

The giant panda has a long history. The fossils of the oldest giant panda found so far, the first panda, were unearthed in Lufeng and Yuanmou, Yunnan Province, China, dating to the late Miocene about 8 million years ago. in the long-term fierce competition for survival and natural selection, many of their contemporaries have become extinct, but the giant panda is strong and has become a "living fossil". However, giant pandas are still on the verge of extinction because of their extremely primitive and extremely degraded fertility patterns.

Ancient animal

The ancestors of giant pandas appeared in the early Jurassic period 2-3 million years ago. It was the heyday of giant pandas hundreds of thousands of years ago. They belonged to the swordtooth paleontological community. The habitat once covered most of eastern and southern China, including Beijing in the north, southern Myanmar and northern Vietnam. Fossils are usually found in temperate or subtropical forests at an altitude of 500,000,700 meters above sea level, but giant pandas have been extinct in the same period of time. And retain the original ancient features. There has been almost no evolution or even degradation for millions of years. By studying it, we can get some data about paleontology and some climatic and geological changes in recent millions of years.

Docile and lovely

Giant pandas are always very docile in temperament. When they meet people for the first time, they often cover their faces with their forepalms covered, or keep their heads down without revealing their true appearance. They seldom take the initiative to attack other animals or people, and always avoid when they encounter each other in the wild. But as soon as she becomes a mother, her baby is sacrosanct, and even a caring visit will make the mother angry, open her teeth and claws, and move her hands and feet.