The Panda’s Thumb has Evolved … Twice!

"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."

Guesser: Manuel J. Salesa, Departamento de Paleobiología