As of: March 13, 2024, 3:06 p.m
By: Sophie Kluß
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The cocoa pandas are so rare that their unusual coloring has only now been studied in more detail.
You can read what the scientists discovered here.
In Germany we know cows with brown spots, brown dogs and rabbits - but have you ever seen a giant panda with chocolate brown spots instead of black and white?
If not, it could be because the cocoa-looking animals are extremely rare, even in their home country of China.
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The cocoa pandas are so rare that, according to Chinese scientists, they should be considered national treasures.
Above all, their special coloring has puzzled scientists - until now.
According to the German Press Agency, Chinese researchers have now managed to solve the mystery surrounding this rare freak of nature.
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The aim is to breed - so far only a single cocoa panda in captivity
Qizai, the only giant panda currently living in captivity with brown and white coloring instead of black and white.
Qizai comes from the Foping Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province, China.
© picture alliance/dpa/Eurekalert |
Wenliang Zhou
After the first panda with brown and white fur, a female, was discovered in China's Qinling Mountains in 1985, only a handful of other cocoa pandas have been found in this region since then, according to the research team led by Fuwen Wei from the Chinese Academy of the sciences.
Together, the scientists published a study in the scientific journal
Proceedings
of the US National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
According to the German Press Agency, pandas with cocoa spots are not found in other areas of China.
It wasn't until 2023 that an albino giant panda was filmed again for a long time.
Solution to the puzzle: What is the cause of the chocolate brown color?
Fuwen Wei's team most likely attributes the exotic coloring to a single gene.
Accordingly, a change in the Bace2 gene is responsible for the light brown chocolate look.
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Based on the latest findings, the fluffy animals with the rare coloring are now to be bred specifically.
But first, further tests must show whether the modified gene has harmful consequences for the animals.
The only brown panda currently living in captivity is named Qizai and comes from the Chinese nature reserve Foping.
However, according to the German Press Agency, no effects on size or reproductive ability were found for Qizai and another animal, Dandan.