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Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
An undated photo shows the fossil of a giant panda found in a limestone cave in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, China. /CFP
Recently, an exciting discovery was made in a limestone cave in Chenggu County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province: the well-preserved fossils of a giant panda.
The skull fossil was more than 90 percent complete, while the other skeletal fossils were about 70 percent complete. Experts have tentatively determined that the fossils date from 200,000 to 10,000 years ago. This is the first time a well-preserved panda fossil has been found in Shaanxi, and they are of great scientific and educational value.
An undated photo shows the fossil of a giant panda found in a limestone cave in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, China. /CFP
The panda could have gotten lost and entered the cave, where it eventually died and became fossilized. Alternatively, it could have fallen from a small waterfall nearby and been carried to the site by an underground river, the group of experts speculated.
Based on the morphology of the fossil skull, the characteristics of the tooth structure, and the development of the sagittal crest, the team's preliminary research suggests that the panda fossil belongs to an adult panda, most likely a female.
An undated photo shows the fossil of a giant panda found in a limestone cave in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, China. /CFP
"Previously discovered fossils were all scattered, such as single teeth or bones. This time, the panda fossil is very complete, with the skull almost intact, along with the metatarsal and vertebral bones. We aim to reconstruct a complete fossil skeleton," said Hu Songmei, a member of the Shaanxi Provincial Paleontological Fossil Expert Committee.
The fossils have been safely transported to Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, where they will be used for specimen restoration and related scientific research.