It Wasn’t Always So Cute: It Was a Carnivorous Panda

Baptized Hurricane, that’s how carnivorous panda beara completely new species and far removed from its current relative.

This Panda originated during the late Miocene period, approximately 11.6 to 5.3 million years ago, and the first fossils of the species were discovered in the Linxia Basin in China’s Gansu province, according to a study published recently in American Museum Novitates.

He was from an extinct predatory family of giant pandas, distinguished by long limbs and excellent running abilities.

Researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the American Museum of Natural History described Huracan based on a significant amount of fossil material found in both North America and East Asia.

Huracan’s limb bones indicate that it had good running abilities, but its forelimbs were not as strong and flexible as those of other bear species. This shows that he probably ate animals such as sheep or camels, as opposed to more muscular animals such as rhinos or elephants.

The new genus shares features with Agriotherium and Indarctos, two ancient giant bears whose evolutionary relationship was previously unclear.