Were pandas called brave in ancient times?

In ancient times, giant pandas were called "iron eaters", mythical animals, mythical animals, mythical animals, flower bears and white leopards.

Giant panda (scientific name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca；; English name: grand Panda) is a mammal belonging to Carnivora, Xiong Ke and Giant Panda (Note: Giant Panda is classified according to CITES and IUCN). Its body color is black and white. It has round cheeks, big dark circles, chubby body, iconic walking posture, with eight characters inside and claws as sharp as scalpels. Is one of the cutest animals in the world. Giant pandas have lived on the earth for at least 8 million years and are known as "living fossils" and "national treasures of China". It is the image ambassador of WWF and the flagship species of global biodiversity conservation.

According to the third national wild panda population survey, there are less than 1600 wild pandas in the world, which belong to the national first-class protected animals. By the end of 2011/the number of giant pandas in captivity in China was 333. At first, giant pandas ate meat. After evolution, 99% of the food is bamboo, but the teeth and digestive tract remain unchanged and are still classified as carnivores. The life span of giant pandas in the wild is 18 ~ 20 years old, and it can reach over 30 years old in captivity. Endemic to China, the main habitats are China Mountain, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places.

morphological character

Giant pandas are chubby, like bears, with round heads and short tails. The length of the head and trunk is 1200- 1800 mm, and the length of the tail is 100- 120 mm. It weighs 80- 120 kg, and the maximum weight can reach 180 kg. Pandas are slightly heavier, and males are generally slightly larger than females. The head and body are black and white, but black is not pure black, and white is not pure white, but brown in black and yellow in white. The Qinling area is large, with rough body hair and slightly brown belly hair. Minshan (especially Qingchuan Pingwu) is smaller, with thinner body hair and less brown belly hair, but Liangshan is not small.

The black-and-white appearance is conducive to hiding in dense forests and trees on the snow-covered ground, which is not easy to be found by natural enemies. Relatively sharp claws and powerful front and rear limbs are beneficial for giant pandas to climb tall trees quickly.

Giant panda's skin is thick, the thickest part can reach 10 mm, and the skin thickness of different parts of the body is also different. The back of the body is thicker than the ventral side, and the lateral side is thicker than the medial side. The average skin thickness is about 5 mm, which is white, elastic and tough.

The giant panda's eyesight is extremely underdeveloped. This is because the giant panda lives in a dense bamboo forest for a long time, and the light is very dark and there are many obstacles, which makes its vision very short-sighted. In addition, because its pupils split longitudinally like cats. Therefore, when night falls, they can still act.

habitat

Giant pandas live in the high mountains and deep valleys in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China, which is the windward side of the southeast monsoon. The climate is warm, cool and humid, and its humidity is often above 80%. They are wet animals. Giant pandas are distributed in Minshan, Qionglai, Liangshan, Daxiangling, Xiaoxiangling and Qinling, spanning 45 counties (cities) in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, with a habitat area of more than 20,000 square kilometers and a population of about 1600, of which more than 80% are distributed in Sichuan. Their active areas are mostly in ravines, mountainside depressions, river valley terraces and so on. , generally in the gentle slope terrain below 20. These places have lush forests, good bamboo growth, relatively stable temperature, good hidden conditions and abundant food and water resources.

Giant pandas live in dense bamboo forests at an altitude of 2,600-3,500 meters. The air here is thin and foggy all the year round, and the temperature is below 20℃. Other factors will also affect the distribution and density of giant pandas in the wild: bamboo, topography, distribution of water sources, whether there are hiding places and nests for feeding cubs, and mountain conditions. Human disturbance is the main factor affecting the distribution of giant pandas at present.

Giant pandas are not afraid of cold and humidity and never hibernate. Even if the temperature is -4- 14℃, they still walk through the dense bamboo forest bent by snow. They are not afraid of humidity, and always love to live in a humid world with humidity above 80%.

Evolutionary history

Giant pandas have a long history. The fossil of Hong Shi Panda, the oldest panda member, was unearthed in Lufeng and Yuanmou, Yunnan, China, with a geological age of about 8 million years ago in the late Miocene. In the long-term harsh competition for survival and natural selection, many contemporary animals have become extinct, but the giant panda is strong and in an advantage, and has been preserved as a "living fossil" to this day.

The ancestor of the giant panda is Lufeng Giant Panda. The standard Chinese name of the giant panda is actually "panda", which means "bear like a cat". This is the earliest panda, which is mainly carnivorous and evolved from a bear-like animal. The main branches of Eocene pandas continued to evolve in central and southern China. One of them appeared in the early Pleistocene about 3 million years ago and was smaller than a panda. Judging from its teeth, it has evolved into an omnivore and an egg-laying bear. Since then, this main branch has spread to the subtropics, and fossils have been found in North China, Northwest China, East China, Southwest China, South China and even Vietnam and northern Myanmar. In this process, the giant panda adapted to the life of subtropical bamboo forest, gradually became bigger and lived on bamboo. The giant panda reached its peak in the middle and late Pleistocene 500,000-700,000 years ago. Giant pandas in life have well-developed molars, and their claws have a "thumb" in addition to five toes. This "thumb" is actually a specialized formation of a wrist bone, scientifically called "radial sesamoid bone", which mainly plays the role of holding bamboo.

Fossils show that the ancestors of giant pandas appeared in the early Holocene 2-3 million years ago. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, it was the heyday of the giant panda, belonging to the saber-toothed elephant paleontology. The giant panda's habitat once covered most of the eastern and southern parts of China, from Beijing in the north to southern Myanmar and northern Viet Nam in the south. Fossils are usually found in temperate or subtropical forests at an altitude of 500-700 meters. Later, animals died out in the same period, but the giant panda has survived to this day, maintaining its original ancient characteristics.

People in China have known about pandas for a long time, and there were various names about pandas as early as the early written records. The classics are called "Pi", Shi Mao is called "Pi", Emei Mountain is called "Pi", zoological classics are called "Pi", and Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica is called "Pi", and so on.

1869 March, French naturalist Father Armand David (1826.9.7-1900.1.10) was in Dengchigou, Baoxing County, Ya 'an, Sichuan, China (Mu Ping With the help of local hunters, in April 1, he collected a white bear specimen with black and white fur and long hair on the soles of his feet, which looked like a bear. This is a strange animal that he has never seen before. Its specimens and bones were transported to France. Identified by Alphonse Miller Edwards, a scientist at the Paris Museum of Natural History, this "black and white bear" is a new species named Ailuropoda melanoleuca. The appraisal report was published in the fifth volume of 1869 "New Literature of Paris Museum of Natural History". Since then, pandas hiding in the wilderness have entered the field of vision of human civilization.

Ancient and modern naming

The modern name of the giant panda (that is, the popular Chinese name in China) was originally named Panda or Giant Panda, which means that its face is chubby like a cat, but its whole body is like a bear, and some even belong to Xiong Ke. Before the 1950s, Chinese was written straight, reading from right to left, but it was changed into a horizontal book, reading from left to right. 1939 was exhibited in Beibei Museum, Sichuan Province, and the brochure was called Hengshu, a famous panda. At that time, tourists used to read straight books from right to left and mistakenly thought they were pandas.

Since then, first in its main producing area (Sichuan), it has been used to changing the name of panda to panda for a long time. Since then, its common Chinese name is Giant Panda, which has been recognized by people. Its local name, in my hometown, is mostly called White Bear, or White Old Bear, and some are called Flower Bear. In Minshan Tibetan area, it is called Dang or Du Dong Ga (G m 4), and Baimadabu people in Pingwu are called Dongga; The Yi people in Liangshan are called Aqu. Although the names of these places are different, their meanings are the same as those of the brave dogs in ancient books, only that they are white, black, white or bear-like.

Other aliases for giant pandas are China Bear, Bamboo Bear, Silver Dog and Big Raccoon. Silver dog, this is because the local name and trade name of the little panda is golden dog, and the corresponding panda is called silver dog because of its white body color. Bamboo bear is named after its main food is bamboo. Hua Xiong shows that it is a rare animal which is a special product of the Chinese nation.

When the western world learned about it, it was originally translated into "panda" or "panda", but another legend was accidentally reversed into "panda" when it was first published in a newspaper in the 20th century, and unexpectedly became an ordinary name. If we take these names as clues, we can trace back many magical records.

Discover the whole story

Baoxing County is located in the northwest of Sichuan, China, where mountains overlap, streams and springs are sweet, trees are towering, and the seasons are pleasant. It is in the transition zone from the basin to the plateau and mountainous area. It contains nearly a quarter of the animal species in China, many of which are rare birds and animals. 1862- 1874 When living in China, Armand David, a French missionary, learned that there were many kinds of animals in Baoxing, Sichuan, some of which were rare and unknown, and he came to Baoxing from Shanghai to serve as the fourth generation pastor of Chigou Church in Donghe, Mu Ping.

1869 In the spring, David passed a family named Li on the road. Suddenly, a strange black and white animal skin hanging on the wall attracted David deeply. The owner told him that the local people called this animal "white bear", "flower bear" or "bamboo bear". It is very docile and generally won't hurt people. David is very excited. He estimated that this animal "will be an interesting new species in science", and this discovery will fill a gap in animal research in the world. In order to get this strange animal, David hired 20 local hunters to search for it. On March 23rd, the hunters sent the first little "white bear", but unfortunately, for convenience, they killed it.

1On May 4th, 869, David caught a "bamboo bear", and he named it "black and white bear". The lovely "black and white bear" is deeply loved by David because of its furry, black and white appearance, round head and funny movements. After a period of careful feeding, David decided to bring this lovely "black and white bear" back to France. This lovely "black and white bear" can't stand the bumps of long-distance mountain roads and the constant change of climate. It was dying before it was shipped to Chengdu. David had to make this "black and white bear" skin into a specimen with great regret and send it to the National Museum in Paris, France for exhibition. The world's first giant panda model specimen was actually made.

This animal skin is on display at the National Museum in Paris. After a thorough study by Miller Edwards, curator of the museum, it is considered that it is neither a bear nor a cat, but a bigger panda similar to that found in Tibet, China, and officially named "Giant Panda".

65438-0939, Chongqing Pingming Zoo held an exhibition of animal specimens, among which the "Panda" specimen attracted the most attention of the audience. Its logo adopts the internationally accepted writing format, representing Chinese and Latin respectively. But at that time, because of the habit of reading Chinese from right to left, tourists all read "panda" as "panda". Over time, people used to call "panda". A newspaper in Taiwan Province Province once wrote an article to correct the name of "panda", but people have become accustomed to it, but they think "panda" is not so smooth. From then on, the modern name "Giant Panda" was born! David became the first foreigner to introduce China Baoxing Giant Panda to the western world.

The discovery of giant pandas caused a sensation in the western world. Since then, groups of western explorers, hunting team hunters and museum specimen collectors have come to the giant panda producing area to try to uncover the mystery of the giant panda and hunt this rare animal. Among them were President Roosevelt's two sons, theodore roosevelt and Mitt Roosevelt. The two brothers first went to Baoxing county, where David found the giant panda, and found nothing, and then entered Daliangshan. In Yuexi county, they shot and killed a giant panda and took it back to the United States as a specimen. Later, German and British explorers hunted giant pandas, and even more of them were bought from hunters in China. At that time, many museums in western countries had specimens of giant pandas. But they never caught a live panda.

Sixty-seven years after Father David discovered the giant panda, Ruth hax, a 35-year-old female fashion designer in new york, got married on 1936. Her husband, William Hackles, is an avid explorer. Two weeks after their marriage, he went to China to look for giant pandas. However, William died in Shanghai before he got to the panda producing area. Determined to fulfill her husband's last wish, Ruth left for China in April 1936, two months after his death.

Ruth's expedition consisted of only two people-her and 25-year-old Chinese American Yang Quentin. They took a small wooden boat from Shanghai to Chengdu, and then entered Wenchuan, looking for traces of giant pandas in the deep forests and setting traps for hunting. 1936165438+1On October 9th, when Yang caught a furry little animal from a tree hole and handed it to Ruth who was numb with cold, she couldn't believe it. This is the living giant panda that westerners have dreamed of for more than half a century. Ruth thought the little creature weighing less than 3 pounds was a female (it turned out to be a male), so she took the name of Yang's wife. Lucky Ruth and Su Lin soon returned to Chengdu and then flew to Shanghai.

Although westerners have been looking for the giant panda for more than half a century, and know that it is a kind of endangered rare animal, before that, China people knew almost nothing about the giant panda. Hunters can kill this "bear" at will, and the government has no laws and measures to protect it. Ruth's trouble is not that she caught the giant panda, but that the procedures for entering Chinese mainland are incomplete, so she can't leave the country. Finally, she boarded the ship to America by bribery. She put Su Lin in a big wicker basket, wrote "Bring a pug" on the customs registration form, and then went out of the customs.

Ruth and Surin are still sailing in the Pacific Ocean, and overseas telegrams have spread the news all over the United States. It was the day before Christmas when the ship docked at the San Francisco pier. Surprised Americans held a grand welcoming ceremony on the dock. They arranged the most luxurious suite for their precious guests and held a grand welcome party. Su Lin was sent to many big cities for exhibitions, and everywhere she went, she caused a sensation. When Theodore, the son of Roosevelt who had been to China to look for giant pandas, saw Su Lin, he said with great emotion, "If this little guy is regarded as a souvenir under my gun, I would rather use my son instead."

After fierce competition, the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago won Surin. People flooded here, with a maximum of 40 thousand people a day, exceeding the zoo's highest admission record. Su Lin's every move became news in the newspaper. Businessmen compete to produce products with the image of giant pandas. Fashion girls paraded in the city in swimsuits with giant panda patterns on them. Even cocktails are named after giant pandas. The story of Ruth and Surin became a best seller and was put on the screen.

Unfortunately, Surin lived only one year and was made into a specimen for permanent exhibition. The appearance of Surin made the giant panda enter the public from the museum. It is not only rare, but also lovely, and it has become an animal star all over the world for a time. Western powers compete to catch giant pandas in China. From 1936 to 194 1, the United States alone took nine giant pandas from China. Huaxi University, a missionary school in Chengdu, helped a lot. After 20 years in the giant panda producing area, an Englishman named "Panda King", Tangier Smith, bought nine live giant pandas during the three years from 1936 to 1938, and brought six of them to Britain.

During World War II, Ming, the giant panda in London Zoo, was calm and free to play under the indiscriminate bombing of German planes, and became a wartime hero in the eyes of London citizens. At the height of the war, newspapers were still reporting Ming's life. Ming died at the end of 1944. The obituary published in The Times said, "She can die without regret because she has brought happiness to thousands of people." . After the end of World War II, 1945 and 65438+February, the British organized a team of more than 200 people through diplomatic channels, went to Wenchuan for a big raid, and finally captured a giant panda and sent it to Britain. Like many things in China, the panda's status in China rose rapidly after it caused a sensation abroad. Since the 1940s, the government began to restrict the hunting activities of foreigners.