Big dark circles, thick fur, walking, cute and cute. In the zoo, just by selling cute and eating bamboo, you can "capture" a large number of fans. But you know what? The ancestor of the giant panda, the Pasteur's giant panda, reached the peak of the giant panda, and the adult body can reach about 2 meters!
This year marks the centenary of the scientific discovery of the Yanjinggou fossil production area in Wanzhou District. Recently, the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources released the news that the fossils of star species such as pasteurized giant pandas, South China giant tapirs, and grain-style large-forehead cattle excavated and restored in Yanjinggou made their debut.
Fossil pap panda Zhou Xiaoping photo
The size of the Pasteur giant panda
Reach the peak of the giant panda
At the Caijia Fossil Restoration Center of the 208 Geological Team of the Municipal Geological Survey Bureau, a fossil of a Pap giant panda dating from 347,000 to 260,000 years ago was restored by experts and gradually revealed its "true face".
The fossil of a Pap giant panda is about 1.26 meters long and 0.73 meters high, with a fossil integrity of more than 50%. Dr. Hu Haiqian of the Geological Relics Conservation Research Institute of the 208 Geological Team of the Municipal Geological Survey Bureau introduced that the Pap giant panda may be 3 to 4 years old and not yet fully adult.
The size of the Pasteur's giant panda has reached the peak of the giant panda, the adult can reach a maximum of about 2 meters, while the living giant panda grows at about 1.2-1.8 meters.
"Judging from the animals unearthed with the Pasteuris giant panda, the Pasteur-based giant panda should be the same as the living giant panda, or eat bamboo mainly, and sometimes eat bamboo rats, or sheep, deer and other carcasses." Hu Haiqian said that the biggest difference between The Pasteur's giant panda and the living panda is that it is larger and the chewing system is not as developed as the living panda.
Fossil pap panda zhou Xiaoping
In addition to the Pasteur's giant panda, fossils of South China giant tapirs and valley-style large-fronted cattle were also exhibited.
⊙ South China giant tapir
351,000 to 246,000 years ago
Sub-adult individuals, 2.7 m long and 1.4 m tall, plant-eaters, extinct, with fossil integrity approaching 95%.
South China giant tapir fossil Zhou Xiaoping photo
⊙ grain-style large-fronted cattle
126,000 to 11,700 years ago
Adult individuals, 3.2 m long and 2 m tall, plant-eating animals, extinct, with fossil integrity exceeding 90%.
Grain-style large-front cattle fossil Zhou Xiaoping photo
For a hundred years
Fossil species have been found in Yanjinggou
There are more than 50 species in 2 orders and 10 orders
Wanzhou Yanjinggou fossils, with a long history of excavation and research, are one of the earliest fossil concentrations discovered, excavated and studied by paleontologists in China.
Wei Guangbiao, vice president of the Chongqing Geological Survey, introduced that Yanjinggou is not only the birthplace of Quaternary mammal fossil research in China, but also the area with the richest production of Pleistocene mammal fossils in southern China, and is the model site of many paleontological genera.
According to the British "Chongqing Customs" "Wanxian Branch Customs 1917-1921 Investigation Report" recorded: "The amount of paleontological fossils excavated here is not less than 10,000 cartons per year, becoming a well-established local occupation and a rich source of income."
"The origin of the keel is in the Pingba area, when the keel was a medicinal herb, and Grandpa was very familiar with it, and he could analyze the terrain and geographical location where fossils might be excavated." Jiang Yuanshun, a villager in Gaojia Village (formerly Pingba) in Xintian Town, Wanzhou District, recalled that since his grandfather's generation, the Jiang family has been associated with the Yanjinggou fossils, and several generations have served as "tour guides" for experts and scholars who came to excavate fossils.
100 years ago, the American paleontologist Gran Jie was the first to go into the salt well ditch to excavate fossils.
● From 1921 to 1926, the American paleontologist Granger excavated and acquired a large number of fossils, which are now in the Natural History Museum in New York, USA.
● From 1985 to 1986, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chongqing Museum of Natural History jointly investigated and excavated, and obtained a large number of precious specimens, including a well-preserved fossil giant panda skeleton.
● In 2007, the Chongqing Municipal Museum of Natural History and wanzhou museum jointly excavated and obtained a very complete fossil of the skeleton of the oriental saber-toothed elephant.
● In 2011, the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum and the Wanzhou Museum jointly excavated and obtained two fossil skeletons of oriental saber-toothed elephants with considerable integrity.
● Since 2016, the 208 geological team of Chongqing Geological Survey Bureau has collected and protected a large number of fossil specimens, including 24 skeleton fossils with high integrity.
Salt well ditch old house package fossil burial map. Courtesy of the Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources
Up to now, more than 50 species of fossil species, 2 classes, 10 orders, have been found in Yanjinggou.
● More than 30 species of large mammal fossils: Oriental saber-toothed elephant, Pasteur's giant panda, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Ding subspecies, gibbon, black bear, ancient Java jackal, last spotted hyena, tiger, wild cat, great civet cat, jackal, protruding pig badger, South China giant tapir, Sumatran rhinoceros, Gu's large-fronted cattle, great Sumen antelope, water deer, pleated tooth musk musk, large red deer, etc.;
● More than 20 kinds of small mammal fossils.
The abundant fossil specimens provide valuable information for the study of biological types, life evolution, environment and climate change in the region, and provide important evidence for the establishment of a framework for China's Quaternary geological system.
Salt well ditch fauna
It has distinct characteristics of biodiversity
Wei Guangbiao analyzed that the Yanjinggou fauna has distinct characteristics of biodiversity, and most animal species have survived until the late Pleistocene, and even to the Holocene, and only completely disappeared from the area thousands of years ago.
In the complex and volatile climate fluctuations of the Pleistocene:
Some animals are extinct in the Yanjinggou area, but have survived farther and warmer in China or other parts of Asia, such as gibbons, rhinos, etc.;
● Animals are forced to withdraw from this area in the process of warming the climate, and find shelters at higher altitudes and colder places, such as giant pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, etc.;
●Some members of the Yanjinggou fauna are completely extinct genera, such as giant tapirs, saber-toothed elephants, etc.
"The extinction of these animal species is the real difference between the Yanjinggou fauna and the living mammal population in western China." Wei Guangbiao said.
Source: Chongqing Release