The mystery of why giant pandas are forced to spend 14 hours a day eating foods has finally been solved - they can only digest around 17 per cent of the bamboo they swallow.
大熊猫不得不一天14个小时都在进食的谜题近日终于被解开了。它们只能消化大概17%吞食下去的竹子。
Researchers found their gut bacteria are not the type for efficiently breaking down bamboo. In fact they are built to eat meat. The giant panda actually harbours a carnivore-like gut, according to the research published in the journal mBio.
研究人员发现大熊猫体内的那种肠道细菌不能有效降解竹子。实际上它们却能消化肉食。据《mBio》期刊报导的研究称,大熊猫其实拥有与肉食者类似的肠道。
Pandas are one of the most endangered species on Earth, with only 1,600 animals left in the wild.
大熊猫是地球上最濒危的物种之一,野生大熊猫只剩下1600只。
The study's lead author Zhihe Zhang, director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China, said: "Unlike other plant-eating animals that have successfully evolved, anatomically specialised digestive systems to efficiently deconstruct fibrous plant matter, the giant panda still retains a gastrointestinal tract typical of carnivores.
这个研究的第一作者、中国成都大熊猫繁育基地的主任张志和说:“其他植食性动物已经进化成功,构造上有着专门的消化系统能有效地分解植物纤维,然而大熊猫和这些动物不同,它们仍保留着肉食性动物的消化道。
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2020-09-15
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