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Ancient panda bear teeth found in Hungary could prove the mammal originated from Europe

Scientists have found a set of fossil teeth from 10 million years ago in the town of Rudabánya, Hungary that resemble those of a panda bear

Scientists have found a set of fossil teeth from 10 million years ago in the town of Rudabánya, Hungary that resemble those of a panda bear.

According to New Scientist, the bear lived in what’s now Hungary and adds to evidence that pandas originated in Europe, not Asia.

The giant panda is now only found in forested mountain ranges in central China. It famously eats indigestible bamboo, despite having the digestive system of a carnivore.

Palaeoanthropologist David Begun from the University of Toronto in Canada discovered the teeth while he was looking for ancient hominid bones. The teeth are 10 million-years-old, placing them in the late Miocene.

Begun enlisted the help of Louis de Bonis from the University of Poitiers in France and Juan Abella at the State University Santa Elena Peninsula in Ecuador to support his find.