A new study of panda waste brings bad news for the endangered species: Their stomach microbes don't match their diet.
Though pandas have been eating bamboo for at least 7 million years, with the plant being the bear's sole source of food for the past 2 million years, it turns out the microbes in their guts are meant to digest meat. The findings of the genetic analysis of 121 samples of panda feces published in the journal*mBio* "may put [pandas] at high risk of extinction," the authors wrote. Scientists have long been wondering about pandas' evolution because their stomachs are not as long as other herbivores. Longer guts allow animals more time to break down tough plant parts. The researchers hypothesized that pandas would have developed special bamboo-optimized microbes to help them break down plants faster, but, as their study shows, that is not the case. Instead, the study found, pandas are living a "highly fragile lifestyle" by relying so much on bamboo (Karen Kaplan, *Los Angeles Times* <http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-giant-panda-bamboo-meat-20150519-story.html>, May 19). *-- AW* _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
