Pantheraman
Well-Known Member
https://phys.org/news/2021-10-giant-pandas-distinctive-black-white.html
"The international team analysed rare photographs of the giant pandas, taken in their natural environment. They discovered that their black pelage patches blend in with dark shades and tree trunks, whereas their white patches match foliage and snow when present. Also, infrequent pale brown pelage tones match ground colour, providing an intermediate colour which bridges the gap between the very dark and very light visual elements in the natural habitat. The results are consistent whether viewed by human, felid or canine vision models; the last two represent panda predators.
Next, the researchers examined a second form of camouflage—disruptive colouration—in which highly visible boundaries on the surface of an animal break up its outline—in the panda's case the borders between the large black and white patches of fur. They found that giant pandas show this form of defensive coloration especially at longer viewing distances."
When you think about it, it does make sense. Most bears that are preyed upon by other animals run away, climb trees, fight back, or stand up on their hind legs to display the white or yellow patch on their chest to defend themselves. Giant Pandas are at a disadvantage here because of their diet. They only digest 17% of the bamboo they eat, and they only get 20% of the energy of a meal, which obviously means that they don't have as much energy as other bears, so they had to develop camouflage to protect themselves from predators, namely tigers in historical times.
"The international team analysed rare photographs of the giant pandas, taken in their natural environment. They discovered that their black pelage patches blend in with dark shades and tree trunks, whereas their white patches match foliage and snow when present. Also, infrequent pale brown pelage tones match ground colour, providing an intermediate colour which bridges the gap between the very dark and very light visual elements in the natural habitat. The results are consistent whether viewed by human, felid or canine vision models; the last two represent panda predators.
Next, the researchers examined a second form of camouflage—disruptive colouration—in which highly visible boundaries on the surface of an animal break up its outline—in the panda's case the borders between the large black and white patches of fur. They found that giant pandas show this form of defensive coloration especially at longer viewing distances."
When you think about it, it does make sense. Most bears that are preyed upon by other animals run away, climb trees, fight back, or stand up on their hind legs to display the white or yellow patch on their chest to defend themselves. Giant Pandas are at a disadvantage here because of their diet. They only digest 17% of the bamboo they eat, and they only get 20% of the energy of a meal, which obviously means that they don't have as much energy as other bears, so they had to develop camouflage to protect themselves from predators, namely tigers in historical times.