In the late Miocene about 8-9 million years ago, the first panda appeared on the earth. Then in the early Pleistocene, the species of giant pandas began to appear, and their fossils were found in Liucheng, Guangxi, Luoding, Guangdong, Wushan, Sichuan, Yangxian, Shaanxi and Yuanmou, Yunnan. In the middle and late Pleistocene, the giant panda reached its heyday, and Pasteurella subspecies widely appeared in six provinces and cities in China-Zhoukoudian, Beijing, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan Province, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Guangxi.
Historical distribution area
According to ancient books and local chronicles, nearly 2,000 years ago, giant pandas were distributed in China's Hunan, Hubei, Shanxi, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces. Due to the continuous expansion of the radius of human production activities, the habitat of giant pandas has gradually decreased, and now it is only distributed in the southern slope of Qinling Mountain in Shaanxi Province, the southern part of Gansu Province and the mountainous and deep valley areas in the northwest of Sichuan Basin.
Modern distribution area
According to the survey, there are less than 1 000 pandas distributed in southern slope of Qinling Mountain, Minshan Mountain, Qionglai, Daxiangling and Liangshan, which are divided into nearly 20 isolated populations. Due to continuous deforestation, from 1950s to 1990s, in just 40 years, the habitat of giant pandas was swallowed up by 4/5. This poses a great threat to the survival of giant pandas.
Ya 'an, Sichuan Province is the place where the "national treasure" giant panda was first discovered. 1869, the French biologist David first discovered the giant panda in Baoxing area and introduced it to the world as a new species. Giant pandas are only distributed in China, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, and the total number in the wild exceeds 1000. More than 80% of the giant pandas are distributed in Sichuan, becoming a symbol of Sichuan Province.