Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas -- Salesa et al. 103 (2): 379 -- Proceedings of the National Academy

Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas -- Salesa et al. 103 (2): 379 -- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences:

"These data suggest that the false thumbs of S. batalleri and Ailurus fulgens were probably inherited from a primitive member of the red panda family (Ailuridae), which lacked the red panda's specializations for herbivory but shared its arboreal adaptations. Thus, it seems that, whereas the false thumb of the giant panda probably evolved for manipulating bamboo, the false thumbs of the red panda and of S. batalleri more likely evolved as an aid for arboreal locomotion, with the red panda secondarily developing its ability for item manipulation and thus producing one of the most dramatic cases of convergence among vertebrates."