This allows the animal to feed on bamboo, but it is also compact enough to allow them to walk on its legs unhindered.
Dr. Denise Su, co-author of the study at Arizona State University, said: “Five to six million years should be enough time for the panda to develop longer false thumbs. But it seems that the evolutionary pressure of the need to travel and carry its weight has kept the ‘thumb’ short and strong enough to be useful without being big enough to stand in the way. “
Dr. Xiaoming Wang, co-author of the study from the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, added: “To develop from a carnivorous ancestor and become a pure bamboo feeder, pandas must overcome many obstacles.
“An opposing ‘thumb’ of a wrist bone can be the most amazing development against these hurdles.”