A remarkably well-preserved fossilized giant panda dating back over 10,000 years has been discovered in a limestone cave in Shaanxi Province, northwest China.
Located in Chenggu County, Hanzhong City, the cave yielded the panda remains on a limestone platform 180 meters deep.
Over 90 percent of the skull and 70 percent of the overall skeleton remain intact. Researchers said such a find is exceedingly rare. Initial analysis of the skull, teeth and sagittal crest suggests the fossil is of an adult female giant panda.
By examining the fossil's condition and mineralization, experts determined its age to be between 200,000 and 10,000 years old, placing it in the middle to late Pleistocene epoch. This discovery is invaluable for understanding the evolutionary history and survival of giant pandas in the Qinling and Daba Mountains.
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Giant panda fossil with nearly complete skeleton unearthed in NW China
cgtn.com
