A giant panda skeleton discovered by Chinese archaeologists in a tomb suggests that the ancestors of these creatures may have been hunted at the time.
According to the Xinhua news agency, the discovery was made when more than 20 small pits were excavated around the large mausoleum of Han Emperor Wendi, located on the outskirts of Xi’an, the capital of Northwest China‘s Shaanxi Province. The skeleton had well-developed canine teeth. It was facing the direction of the emperor’s tomb. It was placed inside a neatly laid brick structure with its tail facing west.
Pigs and dogs have been employed in funerals as “funerary objects” since the early New Stone Age, or roughly 8,000 years ago, according to Wu Xianzhu of the Hubei Provincial Archaeology Research Institute. “Burying the giant pandas with the dead shows that ancient people had close contact with the creatures,” he said.
In addition to the giant panda, the remains of other rare animals such as tigers, tapirs, Indian wild buffaloes, antelopes, serows and yaks were also found in the burial pits, reflecting the beliefs of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).
The animal remains discovered during the initial excavation of the tomb in 2001 were initially thought to be the lower jaw bone of a pig. But after more investigation, researchers came to the conclusion that the bone belonged to a giant panda.
It is known that panda bones have been recovered from other remains from the same period. This suggests close contact between pandas and humans, possibly hunting. However, the only tomb containing panda remains is this tomb number 77 in the Guanzhuangping Ruins of Zigui County.
Last month it was announced that pandas have increased their numbers in the wild to nearly 1,600 in just a few years, thanks to expanding habitats and improving ecosystems. Giant pandas are no longer an endangered species. However, they are still a vulnerable species.