thinkSPAIN Logo
  • Property for Sale
  • To Rent
  • Holidays
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • News
    • € EUR
    • £ GBP
    • $ USD
    • ARS
    • AUD
    • BRL
    • CAD
    • CHF
    • CLP
    • CNY
    • COP
    • CZK
    • DKK
    • HKD
    • ISK
    • JPY
    • MXN
    • NOK
    • NZD
    • PLN
    • RUB
    • SEK
    • SGD
    • TRY
    • ZAR
    • Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter
    • Give website feedback or report an issue
    • Professionals/Advertiser Login
    • Advertise your Property on thinkSPAIN
    • Sell your property with an estate agent
    • Add your Business to the Directory
    • Advertising with thinkSPAIN
    • List a job vacancy on thinkSPAIN
    • Follow thinkSPAIN on Facebook
    • Follow thinkSPAIN on Twitter
  • 0
  • 0
    • By Signing up you are agreeing with our Terms and Privacy Policy.

      Looking for the Professionals/Advertiser Login?
      Sign in with Google Sign in with Apple Sign in with Facebook
      or

      Don't have an account?  

      • Follow us:

Sign up

By Signing up you are agreeing with our Terms and Privacy Policy.
Sign in with Google Sign in with Apple Sign in with Facebook
or

Already have a thinkSPAIN account? Sign in

Sign in/Register

By Signing up you are agreeing with our Terms and Privacy Policy.
Sign in with Google Sign in with Apple Sign in with Facebook
or

Don't have an account?

Forgot your password?

Subscribe to our Newsletter

By submitting this form, you confirm that you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Feedback is welcome

By submitting this form, you confirm that you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
thinkSPAIN Logo

Was Spain the panda's last natural home in Europe?

 

Was Spain the panda's last natural home in Europe?

thinkSPAIN Team 03/12/2019

Was Spain the panda's last natural home in Europe?
Paleontologists studying fossils in Las Casiones (Teruel) have discovered the presence of the species Indarctos, a relative of the giant panda found in China today.

A study published back in 2012  concluded that the last European pandas lived in the Iberian Peninsula. They uncovered proof of the existence of relatives of the giant panda in what is currently Spain dating back between 11 and 12 million years in various fossil remains excavated from sites Abocador de Can Mata in Els Hostalets de Pierola (Barcelona) and Nombrevilla-2 in Daroca (Zaragoza).

They were the oldest fossils of their kind in Europe belonging to a species which is currently only found in Asia. The most emblematic of them all, China's giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) a species that would have evolved from a more basal bear, like the ones found fossilised in the Spanish sites.

Now, a new study led by paleontologist Juan Abella at the Catalan Institute of Paleontology (ICP) together with the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), the universities of Cape Town and Valencia and the Paleontology Foundation Teruel-Dinópolis, has described postcranial remains and teeth belonging to Indarctos punjabiensis in Las Casiones (Teruel) which are calculated to be 6.23 million years old.

The discovery, published on December 2nd in "Geodiversitas" magazine suggests that the last European panda really did appear to live in the Iberian Peninsula.

"Based on cranial, mandibular and dental characteristics, these fossils can be classified in the Ailuropodinae subfamily, thus making them relatives of today's giant panda", said Abella.

According to genetic methods, the ailuropodinae separated from other subfamilies of current bear species during the Late Miocene, about 20 million years ago.

"These were the predominant bears in the carnivoran assemblages for most of the Late Miocene in the Iberian Peninsula," he explained, adding that at least three different species of bear lived at that time in the region that is now Spain.

"These fossils of Indarctos punjabiensis represent the last population of this subfamily from the Iberian fossil record, and possibly also from Europe, making this an important advance in our knowledge of the evolutionary history of this group".

According to the paleontologist, the skeleton of Indarctos suggests it was omnivorous, but with a large vegetable component in its diet. Its young could climb trees with relative ease to escape from danger and the more mature bears were able to fend off almost any attack due to their large size and their powerful claws.

According to the scientists, six million years ago Las Casiones (9km north of Teruel) was an area with many lakes and diverse fauna including other large mammals like hippopotamus, rhinoceros and Proboscidea, close relatives of today's elephants, as well as hyenas and other carnivores that are now extinct.

Related Topics

  • Tech & Science

You may also be interested in ...

  • Property for sale in Teruel
  • Businesses & Services in Teruel
Advertisement
Advertisement

More News & Information

Princess of Asturias Awards: Spain's home-grown ‘Nobel Prizes’ and their winners
Society 08/11/2022
Princess of Asturias Awards: Spain's home-grown ‘Nobel Prizes’ and their winners

WINNING a Nobel Prize might be the highest form of prestige on earth and the ultimate goal of every artist, scientist or public figurehead – but the next best thing has to be earning Spain's national version, a...

View
CEPSA and Etihad work together on creating 'green' airline fuel
Environment 05/11/2022
CEPSA and Etihad work together on creating 'green' airline fuel

SPANISH petroleum giant CEPSA has struck a deal with Etihad airlines to work on carbon-free flights in the near future, and will be undertaking extensive research on how to produce aircraft fuel from clean and renewable...

View
'Missing meteorite' search needs residents' help: Space rocks could be in Cádiz
Tech & Science 19/10/2022
'Missing meteorite' search needs residents' help: Space rocks could be in Cádiz

AN APPEAL has gone out to residents in the province of Cádiz to help find a 'missing meteorite' that may have landed just a few kilometres inland from the Costa de la Luz.

View
Movístar launches phone App to prevent car theft
Transport 18/10/2022
Movístar launches phone App to prevent car theft

NATIONAL telecomms giant Telefónica has created an anti-car theft phone App for less than the cost of a glass of wine per month.

View
Advertisement
  1. Spain
  2. Aragon
  3. Teruel province
  4. Teruel city
  5. Was Spain the panda's last natural home in Europe?

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies. More information