Scientists discover Europe’s ‘last known’ giant panda species

Ancient panda was not reliant purely on bamboo like modern-day relative but likely fed on softer plant materials

Scientists have uncovered a new species of giant panda in the wetlands of Bulgaria which they say could be the “last known” and “most evolved” of the kind discovered in Europe.

Unlike its modern-day black and white relative, researchers, including those from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, say the ancient species, named A. nikolovi, was not reliant purely on bamboo.

“Although not a direct ancestor of the modern genus of the giant panda, it is its close relative,” explains study co-author professor Nikolai Spassov from the Bulgarian National Museum of Natural History.