Pandas are famous for loving bamboo, but cute mammals actually have typical animal digestive systems that follow a meat -based diet – and Chinese scientists now believe they know why.
Researchers say that stuffing themselves with the upper and rapid growth plant can influence the behavior of these disguised carnivores and regulate their sense of smell and taste.
Natives from southwest China, pandas spend up to 16 hours a day devouring bamboo, absorbing a genetic material called micorna (mirna) in their bloodstream, according to research published Friday (28) in Frontiers magazine.
The molecule can influence how genetic information is transferred through panda bodies, shaping the way they act, according to research led by the Normal University of Western China in Sichuan province.
Mirna plays “a role in regulating the gene expression of giant pandas,” says Li Feng, one of the university’s senior authors in a statement. Li and her colleagues have found that the molecule can shape physiological processes in panda bodies, including growth, biological rhythms, immune behavior, and responses.
“Mirna in bamboo is also involved in regulating the roads of smell, taste and dopamine of giant pandas, all related to their eating habits,” he says.
Researchers believe that when a panda puppy grows, it develops the ability to choose the freshest and most nutritious bamboo, which allows them to adapt to a plant -based diet.
The study was based on blood samples of six adult panda and one youth. Among these samples, scientists detected 57 traces of mirnas probably derived from bamboo. They expect discovery to help scientists better understand the effect of plant mirna on animals, potentially paving the way for disease treatment or prevention, according to the study.
Although Panda’s diet consists almost entirely of leaves, stems and bamboo sprouts, about 1% of its diet comes from other plants – and even meat, such as small rodents, according to the World Fund for Nature (WWF).
About 1,800 pandes live in the wild, wandering through mountainous chains in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, says WWF. Habitat loss and fragmentation represent the greatest threats to wild pandes, while their warm desire to reproduce has made its preservation a challenge. When mothers finally give birth, newborn pandes are extremely fragile.
China has dramatically increased efforts to save bears in recent decades, increasing the number of panda reserves from 12 to 67.
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Was this content originally published in why pandas eat bamboo even having “carnivorous intestines”? Understand on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
