Electroretinography (ERG) in the wild giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca )

Abstract Background Parasitic infections are among the important causes of death of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) that hamper their survival in the wild. There are about 35 species of parasites which have been identified in giant pandas, but no information is currently available regarding the infection of Babesia in giant pandas. Babesia spp. are common intraerythrocytic parasite in wildlife, transmitted by ixodid ticks, which cause babesiosis. Clinical signs of babesiosis include fever, hemolysis, anemia, jaundice and death. Methods A species of Babesia was detected in the blood of a giant panda based on morphology and PCR amplification of the 18S rRNA gene. The phylogenetic relationship of Babesia sp. infecting giant panda was assessed by gene sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Results Our analysis revealed that the Babesia isolate detected was most similar to an unidentified species of Babesia identified in black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) from Japan (Babesia sp. Iwate, AB586027.1) with a 99.56% sequence similarity, followed by Babesia sp. EBB (AB566229.1, 99.50%) and Babesia sp. Akita (AB566229.1, 99.07%). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first report of Babesia detected in the giant panda. The results indicate that this Babesia sp. may be a novel species, currently named Babesia sp. strain EBP01.

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Temporomandibular joint and Giant Panda’s (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) adaptation to bamboo diet

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93808-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Pekka K. Vallittu ◽

Juha Varrela ◽

Jukka Salo ◽

Li Rengui ◽

Ling Shanshan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Temporomandibular Joint ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca ◽

Outer Skin ◽

Morphological Adaptations ◽

Bamboo Shoots ◽

In Captivity ◽

In The Wild ◽

Masticatory System ◽

New Evidence

AbstractHere, we present new evidence that evolutionary adaptation of the Ailuripodinae lineage to bamboo diet has taken place by morphological adaptations in the masticatory system. The giant panda in the wild and in captivity removes without an exception the outer skin of all bamboo shoots, rich in abrasive and toxic compounds, by the highly adapted premolars P3 and P4. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) allows sidewise movement of the jaw and the premolars can, in a cusp-to-cusp position, remove the poorly digestible outer skin of the bamboo before crushing the bamboo with molars. Based on the evidence presented here, we suggest that adaptation of TMJ to lateral movement for enabling cusp-to-cusp contact of premolars is the crucial evolutionary factor as which we consider the key to understand the Ailuropodinae lineage adaptive pathway to utilize the bamboo resource.

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The giant panda is cryptic

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-00742-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ossi Nokelainen ◽

Nicholas E. Scott-Samuel ◽

Yonggang Nie ◽

Fuwen Wei ◽

Tim Caro

Keyword(s):

Giant Panda ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Human Vision ◽

Visual Environment ◽

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca ◽

Giant Pandas ◽

Black And White ◽

Background Matching ◽

Protective Coloration ◽

In The Wild

AbstractThe giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an iconic mammal, but the function of its black-and-white coloration is mysterious. Using photographs of giant pandas taken in the wild and state-of-the-art image analysis, we confirm the counterintuitive hypothesis that their coloration provides camouflage in their natural environment. The black fur blends into dark shades and tree trunks, whereas white fur matches foliage and snow when present, and intermediate pelage tones match rocks and ground. At longer viewing distances giant pandas show high edge disruption that breaks up their outline, and up close they rely more on background matching. The results are consistent across acuity-corrected canine, feline, and human vision models. We also show quantitatively that the species animal-to-background colour matching falls within the range of other species that are widely recognised as cryptic. Thus, their coloration is an adaptation to provide background matching in the visual environment in which they live and simultaneously to afford distance-dependent disruptive coloration, the latter of which constitutes the first computational evidence of this form of protective coloration in mammals.

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Non-invasive determination of fecal steroid hormones relating to conservation practice in giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Animal Biology ◽

10.1163/157075511x584263 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 61 (3) ◽

pp. 335-347 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Liang-Liang Yang ◽

Qiang Zhang ◽

Xing-Fang Ge ◽

Xue-Lin Jin ◽

De-Fu Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Steroid Hormones ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Sex Ratios ◽

Well Being ◽

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Fecal Steroid ◽

Fecal Cortisol ◽

In The Wild

AbstractThe endangered giant panda is the flagship species of wildlife conservation, a status that results in heightened attention to their well-being. However, one factor that hinders the ability to monitor this species in the wild is the difficulty to measure relevant physiological parameters which quantify the survival status in conservation research. In this study, we employed a non-invasive sampling method and immunochemical assays to determine if measurement of fecal steroid hormones is a viable option in monitoring the sex ratios and stress levels of a giant panda population. The results indicate that 1) the yearly concentration of fecal testosterone is a possible biomarker for distinguishing gender, and 2) invasive methods of artificial insemination and semen collection as well as parturition, cause an increase in fecal cortisol concentration. This study suggests that the noninvasive sampling of feces can be a practical tool to monitor physiological stress in free-ranging and fenced giant panda populations, and could be useful in the forthcoming giant panda census in determining sex ratios in the wild.

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