Millions of years ago, pandas lived in Europe. Say hello to the newly discovered panda bear Agriarctos nikolovi.

By studying fossils of a tooth, scientists in Bulgaria have concluded that relatives of the giant panda lived in Europe in the past.

However, the newly discovered panda species is said to have died out six million years ago. The species has been named “Agriarctos nikolovi” and Professor Nikolai Spassov from the Bulgarian Museum of Natural History says about the relationship with the giant pandas that live in China today:

“Although not a direct ancestor of the modern genus of the giant panda, it is its close relative. This discovery shows how little we still know about ancient nature and also demonstrates that historic discoveries in paleontology can lead to unexpected results, even today.”

It has already been known that there were panda bears in Europe millions of years ago. However, these are believed to have been smaller than both today’s giant panda and the now unearthed Agriarctos nikolovi. The illustration above shows what we think the species may have looked like.

Science Nature,

pandas, prehistoric times, history, animal fever, Agriarctos nikolovi

Via

eurekalert.org